Background
A med-evac helicopter was being repositioned to pick up a patient when the accident occurred. The pilot had obtained a weather briefing that included a forecast for a chance of marginal visual meteorological conditions (VMC) along the planned route. At the time of the briefing, the destination weather was reported as VMC.
Flight Details
The flight departed around sundown. While en route, the destination weather deteriorated. The accident site was located 23 nautical miles southeast of the destination.
Accident Sequence
Witnesses near the accident site reported freezing rain and/or wet snow falling as the helicopter flew past their ranches at low altitude, heading northwest. The area where the accident occurred is sparsely populated, providing few ground lights for visual reference. It was completely dark at the time of the accident.
Wreckage
The helicopter crashed in hilly, snow-covered terrain in a near-vertical, nose-low attitude. The helicopter was destroyed.