# Accident 20121210027259A: Mbb BK 117 A-3, Compton, IL, December 10, 2012

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 10, 2012, 20:16 local time
- Place: Compton, IL
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: QMLA
- Location: 41.7475° N, 89.0958° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.7475&lon=-89.0958&mi=10
- Aircraft: N911BK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N911BK-2014-11-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: MBB BK 117 A-3 (registry code 5626015, https://openairdocs.org/model/mbb-bk-117-a-3) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MBB BK 117 A-3
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 13,000 total, 446 in this make and model, 27 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN13FA096](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13FA096) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20121210027259A

## Narrative

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

ON DECEMBER 10, 2012, AT APPROXIMATELY 2016 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME (CST) AN EUROCOPTER BK-117A-3, N911BK, OPERATED AS "REACT ONE", WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED A FARM FIELD WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RETURN TO ROCKFORD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.  THE PILOT IN COMMAND  (PIC) AND TWO FLIGHT NURSES SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS OWNED BY ROCKFORD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL AND OPERATED BY AIR METHODS CORPORATION (QMLA), ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE  ACCIDENT.  THE FLIGHT WAS OPERATED UNDER 14 CFR PART 135.  THE FLIGHT DEPARTED ROCKFORD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, AT 1959 CST AND WAS ENROUTE TO MENDOTA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, MENDOTA, ILLINOIS.  THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO TRANSFER A PATIENT FROM MENDOTA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL TO ROCKFORD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.  AT APPROXIMATELY 2016 CST, THE PIC STATED THE FOLLOWING (VIA RADIO) TO THE ROCKFORD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL COMMUNICATION CENTER: "WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TURN AROUND AND COME BACK.  WE GOT INTO SOME WEATHER DOWN HERE.  WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO COME BACK TO ROCKFORD."AT APPOXIMATELY 2019 CST, OFFICERS FROM THE LEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT RECEIVED A CALL FROM THEIR DISPATCH INDICATING RESIDENTS REPORTED "A HELICOPTER IN DISTRESS AND A SUBSEQUENT SOUND OF A CRASH."AT 2027 CST, THE ROCKFORD MEMORIAL COMMUNICATIONS CENTER ATTEMPTED TO MAKE CONTACT WITH REACT ONE, HOWEVER WAS UNSUCCESSFUL.WEATHER:THE ROCKFORD (KRFD) METAR AT 1954 CST REPORTED THE FOLLOWING: WIND 270 DEGREES AT 4 KNOTS; VISIBILITY 10 STATUTE MILES; CEILING 3,600 FEET OVERCAST; TEMPERATURE -1 DEGREE CELSIUS; DEW POINT -5 DEGREES CELSIUS; ALTIMETER 29.94THE ROCKFORD FORECAST INDICATED VMC CONDITIONS WOULD PREVAIL OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.ROCHELLE AIRPORT (KRPJ) LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 9.75 MILES NORTH OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REPORTED THE FOLLOWING AT 2015 CST:WIND 290 DEGREES AT 8 KNOTS; VISIBILITY 7 STATUTE MILES; LIGHT SNOW; CEILING 3,300 OVERCAST; TEMPERATURE -1 DEGREE CELSIUS, DEWPOINT -2 DEGREES CELSIUS; ALTIMETER 29.94.A FIRST RESPONDER FROM THE LEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT STATED THAT THERE WAS "MODERATELY HEAVY SNOW FALLING IN THE AREA" AROUND THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.

## 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 CEN13FA096](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13FA096), Dec 11, 2012: MBB BK 117 A-3 (N911BK), Compton, IL, substantial damage, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The inadvertent encounter with inclement weather, including snow, freezing rain, and reduced visibility conditions, which led to the pilot’s spatial disorientation and loss of aircraft control.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.