- Date
- April 16, 2022, 22:26 local (Apr 17, 2022, 05:26 UTC)
- Place
- Deer Valley, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured; on the ground: 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Prior to flight
- Aircraft
- N808LFEurocopter AS 350 B3
- Defining event
- Prior to flight: Aircraft servicing event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220416002309A
- Case key
- 104956
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The fuelers improper action during the refueling process.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the helicopter reported that, he was on the ramp with the engine running to accomplish a rapid refuel. The fueler was attempting to attach the grounding cable to the helicopter and due to the cable not locking, he maneuvered the cable up and down, which then contacted the main rotor blades. The pilot reported he felt a “violent jolt” and immediately shut the engine down. The fueler’s hands were seriously injured. The main rotor blades were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N808LF
- Reported as
- Eurocopter AS 350 B3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 4983
- Built
- 2010
- Airframe hours
- 3,931
- Engine
- Turbomeca Arriel 2B1, 747 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Air Methods Corp, doing business as Medical Evacuation Air Taxi
- Registered owner
- Air Methods Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · April 14, 2022 · 14 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- DVT · Deer Valley
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Data recorder, ADS-B, Video recording device, Satellite tracking device
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
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 7,172.4 total · 445.1 in this make and model · 7,114 as pilot in command · 31.1 in the last 90 days · 10.8 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 240° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- KDVT METAR
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 20, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 MB in all.
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 N808LF · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.