# Accident 20231129016729A: Md Helicopters Inc 600N, Sterling City, TX, November 29, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 29, 2023, 14:30 local time
- Place: Sterling City, TX
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
- Operator: BV0L
- Location: 31.9238° N, 100.9692° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.9238&lon=-100.9692&mi=10
- Aircraft: N745MB, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N745MB) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: MD Helicopters 600N (registry code 3030003, https://openairdocs.org/model/md-helicopters-600n) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250 SER 250HP (registry code 03002, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-ser-250hp) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MD HELICOPTERS INC 600N
- Reported engine: ALLISON 250 SER 250HP
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,975 total, 75 in this make and model, 75 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN24FA049](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN24FA049) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20231129016729A

## Narrative

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

ON NOVEMBER 28, 2023, AT APPROXIMATELY 1430, A MD600N HELICOPTER AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND AT N31 55'26 ' W100 58'9" APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF STERLING CITY, TEXAS.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED ON A PART 133 FLIGHT.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED, AND THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES.  THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM A LANDING ZONE APPROXIMATELY 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE CRASH SITE ON NOVEMBER 28, 2023, AT APPROXIMATELY 1400.

## 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 CEN24FA049](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN24FA049), Nov 29, 2023: MD Helicopters 600 (N745MB), Sterling City, TX, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a power line pole’s static arm during forecasted gusting wind conditions, un-forecasted light turbulence, and un-forecasted low-level wind shear…

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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