# Accident 20050129001409A: Snias AS350B3, Pilar, NM, January 29, 2005

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 29, 2005, 20:00 local time
- Place: Pilar, NM
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: HEEA
- Location: 36.2467° N, 105.8483° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2467&lon=-105.8483&mi=10
- Aircraft: N351LG (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: SNIAS AS350B3
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 6,200 total, 270 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN05LA053](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN05LA053) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050129001409A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON JANUARY 29, 2005 AT APPROXIMATELY 2000 MST, N351LG, A EUROCOPTER AS-350-B3, OWNED AND OPERATED BY PETROLEUM HELICOPTERS, INC., IMPACTED TERRAIN NEAR PILAR, NEW MEXICO. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR 91 DURING NIGHT VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AND THE COMMERCIAL RATED PILOT RECEIVED NO INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT ESPANOLA, NEW MEXICO ENROUTE TO TAOS, NEW MEXICO.

## 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 DEN05LA053](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN05LA053), Jan 30, 2005: Eurocopter AS 350 B3 (N351LG), Pilar, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter, and his improper use of night vision goggles (NVG). Contributing factors were the pilot's spatial disorientation, his self-induced pressure…

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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