Bell 206L-1 accident near Boonville, IN
On April 21, 2004, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Boonville, IN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 21, 2004
- Place
- Boonville, IN
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 38.144°N, 87.313°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040426X00513
Official records · CHI04FA107
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 20, 2004, at 2343 central daylight time, a Bell 206L-1, N137AE, operated by Air Evac Life Team as Air Evac 17, collided with the terrain during a medivac flight. The patient was fatally injured. The pilot, paramedic, and nurse, were seriously injured. The helicopter was substantially damaged. The 14 CFR Part 135 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions and was receiving company flight following at the time of the accident. The helicopter last departed the St. Joseph's Hospital Heliport (II47), in Huntingburg, Indiana, with an intended destination of Deaconess Hospital (16IN) in Evansville, Indiana. Air Evac 17 was based at the Davies County Airport (DCY), Washington, Indiana. At 2151, the crew was notified of a patient who needed to be transported from II47 to16IN. Air Evac 17 departed DCY about 2204 en route to II47. Air Evac 17 landed in II47 around 2223 and departed around 2325 en route to 16IN with the patient on board. The last radio contact that Air Evac dispatch had with the flight was at 2327 when Air Evac 17 reported they had departed II47 with 4 people and 450 pounds of fuel on board. The destination helipad, 16IN, is located within the Class C airspace surrounding the Evansville Regional Airport (EVV), Evansville, Indiana. The hours of operation of the air traffic control tower at EVV were between 0600 and 2300. The audio recording equipment was inadvertently left on after the tower closed. A recording of the approach frequency communications revealed the pilot of N137AE made 12 radio transmissions during the time period
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate planning/decision which resulted in his failure to maintain terrain clearance. Contributing factors were the pilot's inadequate preflight planning, his diverted attention, and the dark night conditions.
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Browse: Indiana · 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.
