- Date
- May 20, 1985, 19:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Duluth, GA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N403DCBell 206L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850520018519A
- Case key
- 6614
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After loading a seriously burned patient in the helicopter, the plt started the eng & lifted off from the hospital parking lot. Immediately after lift-off, he started forward translational flt. About 65 ft from the lift-off point, an advancing main rotor blade struck an unmarked lamp post. The helicopter then crashed in the parking lot, just beyond the lamp post. The plt & one medical attendant were fatally injured, the other medical attendant was seriously injured. Reportedly, the patient did not sustain any additional discernible injury from the crash.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N403DC
- Reported as
- Bell 206L
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 45032
- Airframe hours
- 4,121
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Metro Ambulance Services, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 16, 1985 · 38 hours before
- Destination
- PDK · Chamblee, GA
- Airport
- 17A
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 11 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PDK, 11 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N403DC · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.