# Accident 20030220002319A: Snias AS350B3, Abilene, TX, February 20, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 20, 2003, 16:00 local time
- Place: Abilene, TX
- Airport: Abilene Regional Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: NE6A
- Location: 32.4111° N, 99.6817° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.4111&lon=-99.6817&mi=10
- Aircraft: N439AE (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: SNIAS AS350B3
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW03LA112](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW03LA112) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030220002319A

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE MEDICAL HELICOPTER FLIGHT WAS DISPATCHED VFR FROM ABI (ABILENE AIRPORT TX) AT 15:56 LOCAL TIME WITH 10 MILES VISIBILITY AND AN 1100-FOOT CEILING. THE PILOT AND MEDICAL CREW OF TWO WERE FLYING EAST ALONG INTERSTATE I-20 TO EASTLAND TX TO PICKUP A PATIENT WHEN THEY ENCOUNTERED REDUCED VISIBILITY IN RAIN AND LOWERING CEILINGS. THE PILOT DESCENDED TO MAINTAIN VFR AND MADE A PIREP (PILOT REPORT) TO ABILENE APPROACH, REPORTING A CEILING OF 400 FEET AGL. THE RAIN REDUCED THE VISIBILITY AND THE PILOT CONTINUED TO DESCEND USING THE ROADWAY AS HIS ONLY VISUAL REFERENCE. WITH ONLY A SINGLE REFERENCE POINT, LOOKING THROUGH THE CHIN BUBBLE, THE PILOT DESCENDED ALL THE WAY TO THE GROUND. THE PILOT WAS NOT PLANNING A LANDING, HE WAS TRYING TO DESCEND BELOW THE RAIN AND CLOUDS BUT THEY EXTENDED ALMOST TO THE GROUND, HE DIDN'T RECOGNIZE HIS CLOSURE TO THE GROUND AND THERE WAS A HARD LANDING. THE VHF ANTENNA BELOW THE LEFT CHIN BUBBLE WAS BENT AND GROUNDED OUT SO THE PILOT COULD NOT CONTACT ABI APPROACH AND THE ELT WAS ACTIVATED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE HELICOPTER DID NOT BOUNCE OR SLIE AND HE SHUT IT DOWN IN PLACE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES, HE SHUT OFF THE ELT AND REPORTED THE HARD LANDING WITH BENT SKIDS AND TAILBOOM.

## 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 FTW03LA112](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW03LA112), Feb 20, 2003: Aerospatiale AS-350-B3 (N439AE), Clyde, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's delayed remedial action and his continued flight into known adverse weather conditions. A contributing factor was the excessive descent rate which resulted in a hard landing.

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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