20110901022489I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Eurocopter AS 350 B3 · Gerlach, NV · September 1, 2011

Date
September 1, 2011 · 00:35 local
Place
Gerlach, NV
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
CKLA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N902CF
Reported as
Eurocopter AS 350 B3
Reported engine
Turbomeca ARRIEL-2B1
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
3,000 total333 in this make and model33 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On September 01, 2011, at 0035 PST, a Eurocopter, model number as 350 B3, N902CF, registered to zions credit corporation. The helicopter was operated by air methods, LLC., when it collided with the ground while performing a run on maneuver landing during a "brown out condition". The brown out condition was created by the down wash vortices by the rotor blades. The incident took place during the burning man event, located in Gerlach, Nevada, while on a medical emergency responses call. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The helicopter had minor damage to front nose cone with no reported injuries.

As the FAA filed it

ON SEPTEMBER 01, 2011, AT 0035 PST, A EUROCOPTER, MODEL NUMBER AS 350 B3, N902CF, REGISTERED TO ZIONS CREDIT CORPORATION. THE HELICOPTER WAS OPERATED BY AIR METHODS, LLC., WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND WHILE PERFORMING A RUN ON MANEUVER LANDING DURING A "BROWN OUT CONDITION". THE BROWN OUT CONDITION WAS CREATED BY THE DOWN WASH VORTICES BY THE ROTOR BLADES. THE INCIDENT TOOK PLACE DURING THE BURNING MAN EVENT, LOCATED IN GERLACH, NEVADA, WHILE ON A MEDICAL EMERGENCY RESPONSES CALL. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME. THE HELICOPTER HAD MINOR DAMAGE TO FRONT NOSE CONE WITH NO REPORTED INJURIES.