Airbus AS350B2 accident near Kekaha, HI
On December 27, 2019, an Airbus AS350B2 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Kekaha, HI. 7 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 27, 2019
- Place
- Kekaha, HI
- Aircraft
- Airbus AS350B2 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 7 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 22.162°N, 159.626°W
- NTSB ID
- 20191227X75520
Official records · ANC20MA010
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
- Investigation page: status, final report and safety recommendations
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control - Specialist's Factual Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Air Traffic Control - Attachment 1 - Radar Graphics: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Air Traffic Control - Attachment 2 - Radar Data: Document (XLSX), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
On December 26, 2019, about 1657 Hawaii standard time, an Airbus AS350 B2 helicopter, N985SA, was destroyed when it collided into terrain in a remote, wooded area about 11 miles north of Kekaha, Hawaii, on the island of Kauai. The pilot and the six passengers were fatally injured. Safari Aviation Inc. (Safari), doing business as Safari Helicopters, operated the flight as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 on-demand air tour under visual flight rules (VFR).
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to continue flight under visual flight rules (VFR) into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), which resulted in the collision into terrain. Contributing to the accident was Safari Aviation Inc.’s lack of safety management processes to identify hazards and mitigate the risks associated with factors that influence pilots to continue VFR flight into IMC. Also contributing t
More accidents in HI
- Beech 65-A90, Jun 22, 2019
- Piper PA-31-350, Sep 26, 1999
- Boeing 747-122, Feb 24, 1989
- Beech E18S, Apr 23, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Dec 24, 1987
Browse: Hawaii · Airbus 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.
