What happened
A helicopter was destroyed after impacting trees and terrain during a night flight. While visual meteorological conditions were reported along the route, witnesses in the vicinity of the crash site observed isolated severe thunderstorms in the area.
An individual residing approximately 10 miles from the accident site noted that as darkness fell, there was a ragged low ceiling with visibility ranging between 200 to 500 feet. This witness also observed rain showers in the area. The terrain involved in the impact was a ridge that serves as the first high elevation encountered when traveling east along the flight path. The pilot had previously flown this specific route on many occasions.