Bell 407 accident near Charlottesville, VA
On August 12, 2017, a Bell 407 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Charlottesville, VA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 12, 2017
- Place
- Charlottesville, VA
- Aircraft
- Bell 407 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.034°N, 78.529°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170813X82426
Official records · ERA17FA274
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 12, 2017, about 1649 eastern daylight time, a Bell 407 helicopter, N31VA, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in Charlottesville, Virginia. The pilot and the observer were fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a public aerial observation flight. According to the Virginia State Police (VSP), the purpose of the flight was to provide the VSP command center with a continuous video downlink of the public demonstrations that were occurring in Charlottesville. The helicopter departed Charlottesville Albemarle Airport (CHO) about 1600. The helicopter arrived over the area of the demonstrations at 1604 and remained there until 1642 when the flight crew was tasked to provide overwatch for the Governor of Virginia's motorcade. At 1643, the flight crew advised the VSP command center that the helicopter was heading directly to the motorcade and was about 30 seconds away. Radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated that, at 1648, the helicopter was flying at an altitude of about 2,200 ft mean sea level (msl) in the area of the motorcade. At that time, the helicopter was traveling north-northwest before it began to turn to the right and descend rapidly. Radar data indicated that, at 1648:30, the helicopter was descending at a rate of 6,800ft/min through 1,450 ft msl at a groundspeed of 30 knots. The helicopter then descended below the area of radar coverage, and radar contact was lost. About 1649, a crewmember aboard a Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) helicopter observed the accident helicopter descen
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of helicopter control after entry into vortex ring state, leading to a high rate of descent to the ground with a right spin. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent and recurrent training in vortex ring state recognition and recovery.
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.
