19991124044509A

(-23) At approx. 1915 CST, on November 24, 1999, a Hughes HU-369-HS, N395WM, registered to vertical air, inc. crashed in selby county, Alabama approx. 10 miles south of the bessmer airport while enroute from montgomery, Alabama to bessemer, Alabama. The a/c was demolished upon impact and there wereno survivors. Currently this accident investigation is ongoing with the NTSB and this report may be amended upon receipt of the final accident report from the NTSB. (.4)on November 24, 1999, about 1935 (all times central standard time), a Hughes 369HS, N395WM, registered to vertical air, inc., crashed near Helena, Alabama, while on a title 14 CFR part 91 business flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter was destroyed and the commercial-rated pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The flight last departed dannelly field, montgomery, Alabama, the same day, about 1855.a person identifying himself as the pilot of N395WM called the federal aviation administration (FAA), anniston automated flight service station, at 1301:50, stating he was visual flight rule s from birmingham to montgomery, leaving around 1600, and flying in the area and coming back to birmingham around 2000. The pilot was told "the airmets for instrument flight rules do expire around three o'clock today so it looks like you got a shot at that uh cold front pretty much right on top of you right now drifting real slow to the east the progs do indicate it's going to start to stall out here shortly though uh forecast for birmingham for that time frame calls for four thousand broken all the way through ten pm tonight and montgomery anywhere from three to five thousand broken to scattered so looks pretty good for you." The briefing concluded at 1303:03. See transcripts of communications. A person identifying himself as the pilot of N395WM called the FAA, anniston automated flight service station, at 1839:43, stating he was in montgomery, and would be leaving in the next 20 minutes, going toward birmingham. The pilot was told "we got clouds looks like rains a little bit off to the north and east of your route of flight but ah with the front in the area it could be poppin up ah we do have an AIRMET from birmingham northward for instrument flight rules conditions so visual flight rules not recommended but uh and right now birmingham is down they were clear below twelve earlier now they're calling it eight hundred overcast with four miles in mist so they've dropped in a good bit uh montgomery is still clear below twelve with ten miles and calm." The pilot was further told "the forecast is for cloud cover in the birmingham area generally to be uh fifteen hundred scattered occasional overcast another layer at twenty five hundred feet six miles occasionally down to five light rain showers and mist wind three forty at six and really that's as FAR south as the AIRMET for instrument flight rules is right now." The pilot then asked "so if we can get there in forty five fifty minutes we might be okay." The weather briefer replied "right and if you do need to get back into visual flight rules conditions head south." The briefing ended at 1841:28. See transcripts of communications. A line serviceman for montgomery aviation, at dannelly field, montgomery, Alabama, stated that N395WM arrived on the ramp with the pilot in the left front seat and the passenger in the right front seat. The pilot asked that he fuel the helicopter by adding 30 gallons of jet-a fuel. The pilot also stated he was in a hurry because the weather was getting bad and the ceilings were going down. At 1850:51, the pilot of N395WM called the local controller at the FAA, montgomery air traffic control tower, stating "we're over at ah montgomery aviation we're ready to depart ah toward ah the city and up sixty five to birmingham." At 1854:35, the flight was cleared for takeoff on taxiway alpha with a left turn out. At 1855:46, the pilot was told to contact the FAA, montgomery departure control. The pilot made contact with the departure controller, and when asked what his destination was, the pilot responded shelby county. At 1915:47, the departure controller stated to the pilot that radar service was terminated, squawk visual flight rules code, and frequency change approved. The pilot did not respond to this transmission. See transcripts of communications. Recorded radar data from the FAA, montgomery approach control, showed that after takeoff, the flight climbed to 1,800 feet MSL, and flew a north-northwest heading. The flight was last observed on the montgomery approach control radar at 19:14:27, while at a bearing of 335 degrees at 26 NM from montgomery, at an altitude of 1,800 feet, on a heading of 327 degrees, and at a ground speed of 107 knots. See radar data. Witnesses located in a house near the crash site stated that shortly after 1930, they heard the helicopter fly over their house at a very low altitude, from south to north, making a steady, loud, whining noise. About 2-3 seconds later they heard a "thump" crash sound and then heard no more sound from the helicopter. They went outside and observed the fire from the helicopter wreckage on the hill to the north of their house. They stated the weather at the crash site was dark and slightly foggy.