Incident Overview
A helicopter departed from a hospital in Missoula under good weather conditions to assist at a highway accident scene located approximately 5 miles east of Clinton. The accident victim was placed aboard the helicopter on a stretcher for an emergency flight to the hospital.
Flight and Weather Encounter
About 5 to 6 miles east of Missoula, the pilot noticed light snow falling and observed a large storm cell positioned between the helicopter and Missoula. The pilot immediately executed a right turn away from the storm cell. During a subsequent second turn intended to assess the weather situation, and as the aircraft's tail was oriented toward the storm cell, the helicopter settled with power from an altitude of about 400 feet above ground level (AGL).
Sequence Details
The initial departure and transit to the accident site were conducted in good weather. After picking up the victim, the helicopter began the return flight to the hospital. The pilot's first maneuver was an immediate right turn to move away from the detected storm cell. The second turn was performed to evaluate the weather conditions. At the moment when the tail of the aircraft faced the storm cell, the helicopter experienced a loss of altitude despite application of power, commonly described as settling with power.
The event occurred while the aircraft was at low altitude, approximately 400 feet AGL. No further details regarding the outcome of the flight, the condition of the victim, or the status of the helicopter are available from the source.