Ponca City, OK, USA
N346AE
AEROSPATIALE AS350
The pilot and an air ambulance crewmember were repositioning the helicopter due to incoming inclement weather. About halfway into the flight, the front windshields were fogging over, and the pilot increased the demister. Upon reaching the destination, the pilot hovered near the company hangar; by this time, the windshields had completely fogged over. The crewmember warned the pilot that he was getting close to the hangar, which was on the helicopter's left side. The pilot felt that he was high enough off the ground to move the helicopter several feet to the right, but the right skid was too low and contacted the ground, which resulted in a dynamic rollover. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the rotor blades, fuselage, and tailboom. Based on the available information, the dynamic rollover was a result of the pilot's failure to maintain altitude during the hover operation with a fogged-over windshield.
On January 11, 2019, about 1145 central standard time, an Airbus Helicopters AS350B2 helicopter, N346AE, sustained substantial damage during a dynamic rollover during landing at the Ponca City Regional Airport (PNC), Ponca City, Oklahoma. The airline transport pilot and helicopter air ambulance crewmember were not injured. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Air Evac EMS, Inc. under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a positioning flight. Day instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on company visual flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from the Ponca City Hospital about 1141. The pilot was a repositioning the helicopter due to incoming inclement weather. The weather conditions at the time included light rain and a temperature of about 38° F. He contacted the company Operations Control Center (OCC) and he and the OCC staff agreed that the flight could be conducted within the company safety requirements. The flight was initiated and about halfway into the flight the front windshields were fogging over and the pilot increased the demister. Upon reaching the destination, the pilot hovered near the company hangar by which time the windshields had completely fogged over. The passenger warned the pilot that he was getting close to the hangar which was on the helicopter's left side. The pilot noted that he was looking out of the left chin bubble windshield while attempting to move the helicopter laterally to the right. He felt that he was high enough off the ground to move the helicopter several feet to the right, but the right skid was too low and contacted the ground resulting in a dynamic rollover. Examination of the helicopter revealed substantial damage to the rotor blades, fuselage, and tail boom.
The pilot's failure to maintain altitude during the hover operation while his view was obstructed due to the fogged-over windshield.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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