Bell 407 accident near Abingdon, VA
On August 25, 2012, a Bell 407 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Abingdon, VA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 25, 2012
- Place
- Abingdon, VA
- Aircraft
- Bell 407 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.594°N, 82.018°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120826X42003
Official records · ERA12FA527
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 24, 2012, about 2230 eastern daylight time, a Bell 407 helicopter, N407N, collided into South Holston Lake during a night departure from a river bank in Abingdon, Virginia. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was substantially damaged when it impacted the water. The helicopter was registered to and operated by K-VA-T&W-L Aviation LLC under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual night meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was originating from a private field at the time of the accident. According to a witness, while boating on the lake across from the helicopter landing zone, he watched as the helicopter came in and landed. He recalled that the landing light was on, and he watched as the passengers exited the helicopter. The helicopter then lifted and turned toward the lake, descended down an embankment and made a turn over the lake. The witness said that he noticed that the landing light was not on during the departure flight. The helicopter traveled approximately 150 yards when the bottom skids began to make the water spray on the side of the helicopter. The helicopter then nosed over and made a loud splash. The witness waited for a short moment and then turned on his spot light and moved towards the position of the helicopter. As he moved towards the helicopter, his boat bumped into the tail boom, which was floating away from the fuselage. He continued towards the helicopter and came upon the helicopter floating upside down with th
Probable cause
The pilot's improper decision to make a low-level departure over water in dark night conditions without lights, which resulted in controlled flight into the water. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's likely spatial disorientation due to a vestibular illusion caused by the rapid acceleration during takeoff.
More accidents in VA
- Boeing 757-200, Sep 11, 2001
- Beech B99, Sep 23, 1985
- Beech 65, Sep 10, 1995
- Beech 200, Oct 24, 2004
- Piper PA-31-310, Nov 14, 1982
Browse: Virginia · 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.
