What happened
On November 14, 2009, at approximately 0201 PST, an Aerospatiale AS350BA helicopter, registration N5793P, collided with terrain near Doyle, California. The aircraft was operating as a positioning flight for Mountain Lifeflight, traveling from Reno, Nevada, toward Susanville, California.
Earlier that night, the helicopter had completed a mission to transport a patient from Banner Hospital to Renown Hospital. During the return leg, the crew provided routine position reports to their dispatch center every 10 minutes. At 0153, the crew reported their location near Hallelujah Junction. Approximately eight minutes later, the dispatch center received a transmission indicating the helicopter was going down.
A witness on nearby Highway 3ary observed the helicopter flying straight and level before it began a rapid vertical descent. The witness subsequently observed a fireball near the wreckage site.
The crash resulted in 3 fatal injuries, claiming the lives of the pilot and two passengers. The aircraft sustained substantial damage due to impact forces and a post-crash fire.
The investigation
NTSB investigators analyzed radar data, which showed the helicopter climbing from 4,500 feet mean sea level (msl) after departing the hospital. The radar track indicated a series of climbing turns—first to the northeast, then to the southwest, and finally back to the northeast—before the target was lost. The last recorded altitude was 10,200 feet msl.
Examination of the wreckage revealed the helicopter struck the ground in a nose-low attitude with a bank angle of approximately 90 degrees. Investigators found the following:
- The vertical stabilizers, tailboom, and landing gear were separated from the main cabin.
- The main rotor blades exhibited chordwise bending and trailing edge splitting.
- The engine, a Honeywell LTS101-600A-3A, had split open upon impact.
- The fuel cutoff valve was found in the closed position.
Technical examinations of the engine, hydraulic pump, servos, and sprag clutch assembly revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have prevented normal operation. However, meteorological analysis confirmed the presence of clouds with tops at 13,000 feet msl, and conditions included light clear icing with the potential for moderate icing near clouds. The night was noted to be very dark with minimal moonlight.