# Incident 20120701014059I: Eurocopter AS 350 B2, Amarillo, TX, July 1, 2012

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 1, 2012, 01:11 local time
- Place: Amarillo, TX
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.2220° N, 101.8313° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Amarillo, TX, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.2220&lon=-101.8313&mi=10
- Aircraft: N244TX, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N244TX) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Eurocopter AS 350 B2 (registry code 8680950, https://openairdocs.org/model/eurocopter-as-350-b2) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL-1D1 (registry code 60053, https://openairdocs.org/engine/turbomeca-arriel-1d1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: EUROCOPTER AS 350 B2
- Reported engine: TURBOMECA ARRIEL 1D1
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 2
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,500 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120701014059I

## Narrative

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

ON JULY 1, 2012 AT APPROXIMATELY 01:11AM (CDT), WHILE FLYING AT 900 FEET AGL OVER THE NORTH SIDE OF AMARILLO, TEXAS, TEXAS DPS HELICOPTER #109 WAS STRUCK BY A GREEN LASER FIVE TIMES.  THERE WERE THREE CREWMEMBERS ONBOARD; THE PILOT, A TACTICAL FLIGHT OFFICER (TFO), AND AN INTERN. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE LOCATION OF THE LASER AND DIRECTED AMARILLO POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICERS TO THE LOCATION.  THE TFO ONBOARD ADVISED HE HAD BEEN HIT IN THE LEFT EYE WITH THE GREEN LASER.  THE TFO OBSERVED THE GREEN LASER ILLUMINATE THE HELICOPTER A TOTAL OF FIVE TIMES.  THE LASER STRUCK THE TFO IN THE EYES TWO TIMES.  THE PILOT WAS STRUCK IN THE EYES ONCE AND THE TEXAS DPS INTERN WAS STRUCK TWICE.  THE AMARILLO POLICE DEPARTMENT DROVE TO THE LOCATION RADIOED BY THE HELICOPTER PILOT, IDENTIFIED THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LASER ILLUMINATION AND CONFISCATED THE LASER.

## Other reports on N244TX (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20140601009989I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140601009989I), Jun 1, 2014: Eurocopter AS 350 B2 (N244TX), Amarillo, TX, No damage. On June 1, 2014, at approximately 00:55 central daylight time, while on aerial patrol over Amarillo, Texas, a department of public safety (dps) pilot reported…

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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