Bell 222UT accident near Sandy, UT
On January 12, 1998, a Bell 222UT (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Sandy, UT. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 12, 1998
- Place
- Sandy, UT
- Aircraft
- Bell 222UT · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.570°N, 111.890°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X09421
Official records · FTW98FA093
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 11, 1998, approximately 2250 mountain standard time, a Bell 222UT, N222UH, operated by Air Methods Corporation of Englewood, Colorado, was destroyed when it collided with mountainous terrain in Little Cottonwood Canyon, near Sandy, Utah. The airline transport rated pilot, registered nurse, emergency medical technician, and patient were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the air medical transport flight operating under Title 14 CFR Part 135. The flight originated a few minutes before the accident. The following is based on the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office report, University Hospital's tape recorded radio transmissions, dispatcher log entries, and a record of the pilot's cellular telephone calls. At 1714 on the day of the accident, the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office was notified by Snowbird Public Safety that a cross-country skier had been injured in an avalanche. The skier's companion told deputies the accident occurred at 1630 on the western face of Pink Pine Ridge, between the White Pine and Red Pine drainages, west of Snowbird, on the canyon's south wall. Search and rescue personnel arrived and a command post was established in Little Cottonwood Canyon. A ground team was then sent in to recover the victim. At 1718, the Salt Lake County Fire Department dispatcher called University Hospital's dispatcher, requesting that a helicopter be sent to stand by at the site. N222UH, call sign AirMed 4, was dispatched at 1726. Weather conditions precluded the helicopter from going direc
Probable cause
flight by the pilot into known adverse weather conditions, and his failure (or inability) to maintain sufficient clearance or altitude from mountainous terrain. Related factors were: darkness, heavy snow, high winds, the pilot's perception of pressure that was induced by the conditions and events, and mountainous terrain.
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Browse: Utah · Bell aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
