Eurocopter France AS350BA accident near Panamint Spring, CA
On December 30, 2004, an Eurocopter France AS350BA (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Panamint Spring, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 30, 2004
- Place
- Panamint Spring, CA
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter France AS350BA · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.346°N, 117.504°W
- NTSB ID
- 20050111X00037
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 30, 2004, about 1143 Pacific standard time, a Eurocopter AS350BA, N410JC, impacted a mountainside and crashed onto a road. The accident occurred while the pilot was maneuvering during a low altitude aerial photography filming operation. The accident occurred about 1.8 nautical miles (nm) west of Panamint Springs, California, in the Death Valley National Park. The helicopter was destroyed and the airline transport certificated pilot was seriously injured. There were two passengers on board, a director and a cameraman. The director was seriously injured, and the cameraman was fatally injured. The helicopter was owned and operated by Jetcopters, Inc., Van Nuys, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorized waiver from compliance with sections of the minimum safe altitude provisions of 14 CFR Part 119. The flight originated from Panamint Springs about 1100. The film crew's director, who was located in the front, left seat of the helicopter, reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that during the flight she had requested the pilot maneuver his helicopter into a position that would allow the cameraman to film a prototype automobile for a commercial. After the initial filming operation was completed, the pilot landed in Panamint Springs to allow the cameraman to change lenses. The accident occurred during the subsequent filming operation. The driver of the prototype ca
Probable cause
The pilot's misjudged lateral distance from a mountainside and failure to maintain an adequate clearance from terrain and obstacles while performing a low altitude filming maneuver.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
