# Accident 19990608006619A: Snias AS350B, Ashcamp, KY, June 8, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 8, 1999, 11:14 local time
- Place: Ashcamp, KY
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: To Vertical (Helicopter Only)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.2607° N, 82.4292° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.2607&lon=-82.4292&mi=10
- Aircraft: N35AG, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N35AG-2000-04-19) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aerospatiale AS350B (registry code 8680800, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerospatiale-as350b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SNIAS AS350B
- Reported engine: TMECA ARRIEL1
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 6,330 total, 200 in this make and model, 50 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC99FA136](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99FA136) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990608006619A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AEROSPATIALE AD-350B HELICOPTER DROPPED OF PASSENGERS AT A WORK SITE AND WAS TAKING OFF WHEN IT STRUCK A POWER LINE, THE ACFT CRASHED AND WAS DESTROYED, THE PILOT/SOLE OCCUPANT SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (.4)AFTER DROPPING OFF PASSENGERS AT A MINING SITE, THE HELICOPTER WAS OBSERVED CLIMBING IN A SHALLOW NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE, HEADING NORTH, WHEN IT IMPACTED TWO ELECTRICAL WIRES.  THE HELICOPTER THEN DESCENDED AND IMPACTED ON A ROAD BETWEEN VERTICAL WALLS OF A PREVIOUSLY MINED AREA, WHERE IT WAS CONSUMED BY A POST-CRASH FIRE.  EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DID NOT REVEAL ANY EVIDENCE OF A PRE-IMPACT MALFUNCTION.  EXAMINATION OF THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES REVEALED SEVERAL SCRAPE MARKS AND GOUGES CONSISTENT WITH A WIRE STRIKE.  VISIBILITY REPORTED AT A NEARBY AIRPORT WAS 10 STATUTE MILES, AND A WITNESS TO THE ACCIDENT SAID THE WIND WAS 'CALM,' AND VISIBILITY WAS 'GOOD.'         (-23)REVIEW OF MAINTENANCE RECORDS FOR THIS AIRCRAFT REVEALED NO DISCREPANCIES.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC99FA136](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99FA136), Jun 8, 1999: American Eurocopter AS-350B (N35AG), Ashcamp, KY, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate visual look out which resulted in an in-flight collision with wires.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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