Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407 accident near Stuttgart, AR
On November 20, 2017, a Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Stuttgart, AR. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 20, 2017
- Place
- Stuttgart, AR
- Aircraft
- Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.284°N, 91.544°W
- NTSB ID
- 20171119X32831
Official records · CEN18FA033
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 19, 2017, about 1855 central standard time, a Bell 407 helicopter, N620PA, impacted terrain near Stuttgart, Arkansas. The pilot and two medical crewmembers were fatally injured, and the helicopter was destroyed. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Air Methods Corporation under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the positioning flight, which was operated on a company visual flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, at 1820 and was en route to pick up a patient in Helena, Arkansas.The helicopter was transmitting its position to the company via satellite communications. At 1855:50, the helicopter transmitted that it was heading 070°, traveling 116 knots at 1,252 ft mean sea level. This was the last recorded data point. The company initiated a search when satellite tracking was lost, and the wreckage was located several hours later. There were no known witnesses to the accident. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot was a former military helicopter pilot having flown both AH-64 and OH-58 helicopters. He had been employed as a helicopter air ambulance pilot for over 3 years. He was assigned to the Pine Bluff area on September 30, 2016. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The helicopter was modified via type supplemental certificate for helicopter air ambulance operations. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION A weather study conducted for the accident area did not reveal any weather hazards around the time of the accident. Both the sun and the moon were
Probable cause
An in-flight loss of control due to bird strikes.
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Browse: Arkansas
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
