# Accident 19990817012349A: Bell 407, Georgetown, DE, August 17, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 17, 1999, 04:30 local time
- Place: Georgetown, DE
- Airport: Sussex County Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.6904° N, 75.3795° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.6904&lon=-75.3795&mi=10
- Aircraft: N97SP, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N97SP-2000-01-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 407 (registry code 1182206, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-407) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 407
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC99GA197](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99GA197) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990817012349A

## Narrative

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

DELAWARE STATE POLICE 1998 BELL 407 HELICOPTER ENCOUNTERED FOG/MIST AFTER TAKE-OFF, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO THE FIELD, AND THE ACFT CRASHED AND WAS DESTROYED, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (-23) ON A VFR DEPARTURE AT APPROX. 200 FT., THE PILOT OF BELL 407, N91SP FLEW INTO A FOG BANK WHILE ATTEMPTING 180 DEGREE TURN BACK TOWARD THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT BECAME DISORIENTED AND BEGAN A 180 DEGREE DESCENDING TURN. AS THE HELI WAS IN THE DESCENDING TURN, THE MEDIC (ON BOARD) CALLED TO THE PILOT THAT THE HELI WAS ABOUT TO HIT THE FROUND AND THE PILOT LEVELED THE HELO. THE HELO STRUCK THE GROUND IN LEVEL ATTITUDE, THE PILOT AND MEDIC WERE UNINJURED AND WALKED AWAY FROM THE WRECKAGE. THE HELI WAS DESTROYED.

## 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 NYC99GA197](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99GA197), Aug 17, 1999: Bell 407 (N97SP), Georgetown, DE, destroyed. Probable cause: The pilot's improper preflight evaluation of the weather, which resulted in inadvertent flight into IMC. Factors were the fog, and night conditions.

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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