What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The flight was conducted under 14 CFR 91 as an aircraft repositioning flight, visual flight rules. The pilot and one cabin crewmember were not injured as a result of this accident. There was no post-crash fire. There was no indications of any airframe or powerplant abnormalities noted during operation of the aircraft. The pilot stated that he arrived at the Ponca City, OK air evac base 128 at 07:13 am. The weather was forecasted to go below minimums about noon for at least 24 hours. Pilot stated that he decided to relocate the helicopter from the Ponca City hospital pad to the Ponca City municipal airport. The pilot stated the local weather was 3 miles (visibility) and 900? Broken ceiling.
Pilot stated that he received a phone call from the company operations center concerning the temperature showing 37.9 degrees and light rain. Pilot stated the he and operations center and agreed it would be within company safety requirements to complete the 2 mile flight.
The pilot stated the startup sequence was normal. Pilot stated that they sat running at idle for about 5 minutes for the engine oil to warm up. Pilot stated that he then brought the engine up to full operating RPM and turned on the heat and the demister. After completing the challenge/response checklist, pilot did a hover check and departed on a north east heading. About half way to the airport, the pilot stated that he increased the demister because both of the front windshields were fogging over. The pilot stated that he flew straight to the south end of the airport and made a radio call on UNICOM before crossing the runway.
The pilot stated that he hovered to the front of the company hanger and turned the helicopter to face north. By this time the rain had increased, and the windshield had completely fogged over. Crew member stated to his pilot that he was getting to close to the hanger on their left side. Pilot stated that he was looking out the left chin bubble and hovering to the right. The pilot stated he was watching in front of our fuel trailer which was several feet lower than where I was hovering. Pilot stated that he felt that he was at a high enough hover to move the aircraft several feet to our right. Pilot stated that the right skid was too low and contacted the ground which resulted in a dynamic rollover. In a very short amount of time, less than 2 seconds, the main rotor contacted the ground causing the helicopter to roll over on it?s right side and turn 45 degrees to the left. After the main and tail rotor blades shredded, less than 10 seconds, pilot stated that he closed the fuel control valve, fuel shutoff valve, and turned off the battery switch. The rotor blades were destroyed, the tail boom twisted, and the front of the left skid bent, but the cabin area was undamaged. Note: there was no on-scene investigation of this accident due to the shutdown of the federal government.
As the FAA filed it
THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR 91 AS AN AIRCRAFT REPOSITIONING FLIGHT, VISUAL FLIGHT RULES. THE PILOT AND ONE CABIN CREWMEMBER WERE NOT INJURED AS A RESULT OF THIS ACCIDENT. THERE WAS NO POST-CRASH FIRE. THERE WAS NO INDICATIONS OF ANY AIRFRAME OR POWERPLANT ABNORMALITIES NOTED DURING OPERATION OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE ARRIVED AT THE PONCA CITY, OK AIR EVAC BASE 128 AT 07:13 AM. THE WEATHER WAS FORECASTED TO GO BELOW MINIMUMS ABOUT NOON FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS. PILOT STATED THAT HE DECIDED TO RELOCATE THE HELICOPTER FROM THE PONCA CITY HOSPITAL PAD TO THE PONCA CITY MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. THE PILOT STATED THE LOCAL WEATHER WAS 3 MILES (VISIBILITY) AND 900? BROKEN CEILING.
PILOT STATED THAT HE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE COMPANY OPERATIONS CENTER CONCERNING THE TEMPERATURE SHOWING 37.9 DEGREES AND LIGHT RAIN. PILOT STATED THE HE AND OPERATIONS CENTER AND AGREED IT WOULD BE WITHIN COMPANY SAFETY REQUIREMENTS TO COMPLETE THE 2 MILE FLIGHT.
THE PILOT STATED THE STARTUP SEQUENCE WAS NORMAL. PILOT STATED THAT THEY SAT RUNNING AT IDLE FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES FOR THE ENGINE OIL TO WARM UP. PILOT STATED THAT HE THEN BROUGHT THE ENGINE UP TO FULL OPERATING RPM AND TURNED ON THE HEAT AND THE DEMISTER. AFTER COMPLETING THE CHALLENGE/RESPONSE CHECKLIST, PILOT DID A HOVER CHECK AND DEPARTED ON A NORTH EAST HEADING. ABOUT HALF WAY TO THE AIRPORT, THE PILOT STATED THAT HE INCREASED THE DEMISTER BECAUSE BOTH OF THE FRONT WINDSHIELDS WERE FOGGING OVER. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE FLEW STRAIGHT TO THE SOUTH END OF THE AIRPORT AND MADE A RADIO CALL ON UNICOM BEFORE CROSSING THE RUNWAY.
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HOVERED TO THE FRONT OF THE COMPANY HANGER AND TURNED THE HELICOPTER TO FACE NORTH. BY THIS TIME THE RAIN HAD INCREASED, AND THE WINDSHIELD HAD COMPLETELY FOGGED OVER. CREW MEMBER STATED TO HIS PILOT THAT HE WAS GETTING TO CLOSE TO THE HANGER ON THEIR LEFT SIDE. PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS LOOKING OUT THE LEFT CHIN BUBBLE AND HOVERING TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS WATCHING IN FRONT OF OUR FUEL TRAILER WHICH WAS SEVERAL FEET LOWER THAN WHERE I WAS HOVERING. PILOT STATED THAT HE FELT THAT HE WAS AT A HIGH ENOUGH HOVER TO MOVE THE AIRCRAFT SEVERAL FEET TO OUR RIGHT. PILOT STATED THAT THE RIGHT SKID WAS TOO LOW AND CONTACTED THE GROUND WHICH RESULTED IN A DYNAMIC ROLLOVER. IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, LESS THAN 2 SECONDS, THE MAIN ROTOR CONTACTED THE GROUND CAUSING THE HELICOPTER TO ROLL OVER ON IT?S RIGHT SIDE AND TURN 45 DEGREES TO THE LEFT. AFTER THE MAIN AND TAIL ROTOR BLADES SHREDDED, LESS THAN 10 SECONDS, PILOT STATED THAT HE CLOSED THE FUEL CONTROL VALVE, FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE, AND TURNED OFF THE BATTERY SWITCH. THE ROTOR BLADES WERE DESTROYED, THE TAIL BOOM TWISTED, AND THE FRONT OF THE LEFT SKID BENT, BUT THE CABIN AREA WAS UNDAMAGED. NOTE: THERE WAS NO ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION OF THIS ACCIDENT DUE TO THE SHUTDOWN OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.