Bell 214 accident near Camp Bastion, AF
On January 16, 2012, a Bell 214 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Camp Bastion, AF. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 16, 2012
- Place
- Camp Bastion, AF
- Aircraft
- Bell 214 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 31.784°N, 64.210°E
- NTSB ID
- 20120116X72519
Official records · DCA12FA024
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- GPS Recording Device - Specialist's Factual Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- GPS Recording Device - Specialist's Factual Report - Attachment 1: Document (CSV), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn January 16, 2012, about 1045 Afghanistan time (0615 UTC), a Bell 214ST helicopter, N5748M, crashed 7 miles south of Camp Bastion in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. The helicopter was operated by AAR Airlift Group under contract to the Department of Defense (DOD) Air Mobility Command (the air component of the US Transportation Command). The flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The three crewmembers, who were US citizens, died as a result of their injuries from the accident. The helicopter was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. There were no reports of any hostilities in the area at the time of the accident. The accident helicopter was operating between several forward operating bases in Afghanistan along with another Bell 214 helicopter (N391AL) to transport military personnel between bases. The accident helicopter used the call sign "Slingshot 72"; the other helicopter used the call sign "Slingshot 71." Both helicopters departed Shindand Air Base about 0901 and flew to Camp Farah. Slingshot 72 was the lead helicopter for that flight. The Slingshot 71 flight crewmembers stated that they could see Slingshot 72 during the flight, even though the helicopters were separated "by a couple of miles." At Camp Farah, the engines on both helicopters were shut down, and the helicopters were refueled. Two passengers then boarded each helicopter for the next flights, which departed Camp Farah about 0934 for Camp Bastion. The h
Probable cause
the overtravel of the collective sleeve, which led to a severe and sudden reduction in main rotor blade collective pitch, resulting in a loss of control of the helicopter. The reason for the collective sleeve overtravel could not be determined since much of the collective control system was consumed in the post crash fire.
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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.
