Bell 407 accident near Headland, AL
On December 25, 2019, a Bell 407 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Headland, AL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 25, 2019
- Place
- Headland, AL
- Aircraft
- Bell 407 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 31.364°N, 85.313°W
- NTSB ID
- 20191225X93635
Official records · ERA20FA056
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 25, 2019, about 1713 central standard time, a Bell 407 helicopter, N663SF, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Headland, Alabama. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the flight nurse and paramedic were not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 air ambulance flight. According to the flight nurse, who was seated in the aft right seat, the crew were responding to an accident when the call was cancelled enroute and they turned back to their base. The flight nurse described the flight as normal, and stated that the helicopter was "working beautifully." He said that the pilot approached the helipad slightly faster than normal. As the helicopter neared the helipad, it made an abrupt "roll" to the left. The pilot did not say anything and did not correct for the roll. The helicopter impacted terrain and came to rest on its left side. The flight nurse stated that he and the flight paramedic unbuckled their restraints, exited the helicopter from the aft right door, and immediately tended to the pilot. The flight nurse said his first instinct was that the pilot had some sort of cardiac event. Using his flashlight, he could see that the pilot's face was blue, he was not breathing, and was unresponsive. The engine was still running, so another pilot (who witnessed and responded to the accident) performed an emergency shutdown, and all three of them pulled the pilot out of the helicopter from the windshield and initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The flight
Probable cause
Pilot incapacitation by a sudden cardiac event related to severe coronary artery disease, which resulted in a loss of helicopter control.
More accidents in AL
- Beech C99, Jul 10, 1991
- Cessna 421A, Jun 22, 1983
- Cessna 421C, Jul 9, 2011
- Piper PA 31, Aug 14, 2016
- Beech 95-B55B, Dec 5, 1992
Browse: Alabama · 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.
