# Major NTSB investigations: VFR encounter with IMC

NTSB aviation accident and incident investigations since 1962: the probable cause, findings, aircraft, crew, weather and docket of each, linked to the FAA registry and the FAA’s own reports.

## Latest cases

- [NTSB CEN24MA111](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN24MA111.md): Airbus Helicopters EC 130 · Halloran Springs, CA · Accident · 6 fatal · Class 2 · Major · Final report · Feb 10, 2024 · N130CZ · Destroyed
  > The pilot’s decision to continue the visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the pilot’s spatial disorientation and loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the company’s inadequate oversight of its…
- [NTSB DCA20MA059](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA20MA059.md): Sikorsky S76 · Calabasas, CA · Accident · 9 fatal · Class 1 · Major · Final report · Jan 26, 2020 · N72EX · Destroyed
  > The pilot’s decision to continue flight under visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the pilot’s spatial disorientation and loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s likely self-induced pressure…
- [NTSB ANC20MA010](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC20MA010.md): Airbus AS350B2 · Kekaha, HI · Accident · 7 fatal · Class 1 · Major · Final report · Dec 27, 2019 · N985SA · Destroyed
  > The pilot’s decision to continue flight under visual flight rules (VFR) into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which resulted in the collision into terrain. Contributing to the accident was Safari Aviation Inc.’s lack of safety management processes…
- [NTSB CEN19FA072](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19FA072.md): Bell 407 · Zaleski, OH · Accident · 3 fatal · Class 1 · Field · Final report · Jan 29, 2019 · N191SF · Destroyed
  > The NTSB determines that the probable cause of this accident was Survival Flight's inadequate management of safety, which normalized pilots' and operations control specialists' noncompliance with risk analysis procedures and resulted in the initiation of the…
- [NTSB ANC17MA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC17MA001.md): Cessna 208B · Togiak, AK · Accident · 3 fatal · Class 1 · Major · Final report · Oct 2, 2016 · N208SD · Destroyed
  > The flight crew's decision to continue the visual flight rules flight into deteriorating visibility and their failure to perform an immediate escape maneuver after entry into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into…
- [NTSB ERA12MA122](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA12MA122.md): Bell 206B · Green Cove Springs, FL · Accident · 3 fatal · Major investigation · Final report · Dec 26, 2011 · N5016M · Destroyed
  > The pilot’s improper decision to continue visual flight into night instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the pilot’s improper decision was his self-induced pressure to complete the trip.
- [NTSB ERA10MA188](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA10MA188.md): Eurocopter AS-350-B3 · Brownsville, TN · Accident · 3 fatal · Major investigation · Final report · Mar 25, 2010 · N855HW · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's decision to attempt the flight into approaching adverse weather, resulting in an encounter with a thunderstorm with localized instrument meteorological conditions, heavy rain, and severe turbulence that led to a loss of control.
- [NTSB CEN09PA348](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN09PA348.md): Agusta A109E · Santa Fe, NM · Accident · 2 fatal · Class 1 · Final report · Jun 10, 2009 · N606SP · Destroyed
  > The pilot's decision to take off from a remote, mountainous landing site in dark (moonless) night, windy, instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident were an organizational culture that prioritized mission execution over aviation safety…
- [NTSB MIA08MA203](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA08MA203.md): Aerospatiale SA365N-1 D · District Heights, MD · Accident · 4 fatal · Class 1 · Major · Final report · Sep 28, 2008 · N92MD · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's attempt to regain visual conditions by performing a rapid descent and his failure to arrest the descent at the minimum descent altitude during a nonprecision approach. Contributing to the accident were (1) the pilot’s limited recent instrument…

## The whole list in SQL

Runs in DuckDB 1.2 or later on the release's Parquet files over HTTPS:

```sql
SELECT c."ntsbNumber", c."eventDate", c."eventType", c."eventCity", c."eventStateOrRegion", a.n_number, a."aircraftMake", a."aircraftModel", c."highestInjuryLevel", c."totalFatal", c."completionStatus", c.report_url
FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c."mKey" AND a.position = 1
WHERE (c.board_report_url IS NOT NULL OR c."investigationClass" = 'Class 1' OR c."caseType" = 'Major - Launch')
  AND c."mKey" IN (SELECT s.case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' s WHERE s."tier2Number" = '401' AND s.case_mkey IN (SELECT case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' WHERE "isDefiningEvent"))
ORDER BY c."eventDate" DESC, c."ntsbNumber" DESC
```

This list as a web page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/401/sequence?major=1

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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.