Fortunately, All Three Aboard The Helicopter Survived
The NTSB has determined that pilot error caused an Emergency
Medical Services helicopter to go down in the Gulf of Mexico near
Captiva Island on August 17th, 2009. The good news is, all three
people who were on board at the time of the accident were able to
exit the aircraft and survived. In this case, a cockpit distraction
resulted in "controlled flight into terrain."
NTSB Identification: ERA09LA464
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, August 17, 2009 in North Captiva Island,
FL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 04/28/2011
Aircraft: EUROCOPTER DEUTSCHLAND GMBH EC-145, registration:
N911LZ
Injuries: 3 Uninjured.
The emergency medical services (EMS) helicopter was on a night,
over-water flight in visual meteorological conditions when the
accident occurred. The pilot and two medical crewmembers were en
route to pick up a patient on a barrier island. The pilot flew over
the water with the autopilot engaged (altitude acquisition mode),
at an altitude of 1,000 feet. While en route, the pilot
unsuccessfully attempted to contact the fire department on the
island to obtain landing zone information. When the helicopter was
approximately 3 minutes from landing, the pilot selected 500 feet
using the autopilot and the helicopter initiated a descent to that
altitude. Unable to contact the fire department, the pilot likely
became preoccupied with the task as well as the visual acquisition
of the landing. The descent-power setting, which was manually
controlled by the pilot, was not adequate to capture the selected
altitude, and maintain 60 knots. As designed, the helicopter likely
continued its descent with the autopilot engaged until it impacted
the water. The pilot observed an amber indication on the primary
flight display just before impact, which indicated the autopilot
was engaged, and confirmed this most likely scenario.
A post-accident examination of the helicopter revealed no
pre-impact mechanical anomalies. After the impact, the dispatcher
initiated a re-boot of her computer, rather than a search for the
helicopter, when the helicopter's movement stopped on her screen.
However, the fire department on scene initiated a search, and the
crewmembers were rescued within a short timeframe. Had the
crewmembers sustained serious injuries during the accident, the
dispatcher's failure to initiate a search may have reduced the
survivability of the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable
cause(s) of this accident to be the pilot's failure to arrest the
helicopter's descent, which resulted in controlled flight into
terrain.