- Date
- December 22, 1988, 04:35 local (10:35 UTC)
- Place
- Cape Girardeau, MO
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N119CGBell 206L-1
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 16, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881222057719A
- Case key
- 34670
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
The helicopter was dispatched at night on an emerg med svc (EMS) flt fm a hospital at Cape Girardeau, MO. Purpose of theflt was to transport a patient fm a hospital at marion, IL, to Cape Girardeau. Wx at Cape Girardeau deteriorated after the acft departed. Drg VFR flt back to Cape Girardeau, the plt was unable to lnd at the destn hospital. The flt nurse commented they would have to 'get down' as the patient was getting worse. The plt elected to track to the Cape girardeauarpt by using the ILS course to see if the arpt lighting would help him to 'let down.' He stated that while tracking inbnd & holding 'about 300 feet,' he noticed the helicopter was left of course. Before the acdnt occurred, he had started to correct back to course, but couldn't remember anything byd that point. Also, he rprtd he had left the strobe light on & experienced flicker vertigo. Subsequently, the helicopter struck a power line & crashed on lvl terrain in an open field. The flt nurse, therapist & patient were fatally injured in the acdnt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N119CG
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 45313
- Airframe hours
- 2,225
- Engine
- Allison 250-C28B, 535 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Air Evac
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · December 16, 1988 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- Marion, IL
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- CGI · Cape Girardeau, runway 10, 6,499 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,890 total · 160 in this make and model · 3,400 as pilot in command · 52 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CGI, 4 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.