13 Nov 2011: MESSERSCHMITT-BOLKOW-BLOHM BK 117 B-2 — AIR METHODS CORP

13 Nov 2011: MESSERSCHMITT-BOLKOW-BLOHM BK 117 B-2 — AIR METHODS CORP

No fatalities • Carbondale, IL, United States

Probable cause

The main rotor blade’s contact with the vertical stabilizer during the engine shutdown in strong, gusty wind conditions.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

During an engine shutdown procedure following an emergency medical services flight, a main rotor blade sustained substantial damage when it contacted the left vertical stabilizer. The main rotor blade broke near its root and the tailboom and tail rotor driveshaft cover were dented. The operator reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter. Local recorded winds were 190 degrees at 25 knots gusting to 34 knots.

Contributing factors

  • cause Unintentional use/operation
  • Contributed to outcome

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 190/25kt, vis 10sm

Related events

Same aircraft

  • 25 Apr 2025 — MESSERSCHMITT-BOLKOW-BLOHM BK 117 B-2 (AIR METHODS LLC)
  • 14 May 2022 — MESSERSCHMITT-BOLKOW-BLOHM BK 117 B-2 (Mercy Flight Central)
  • 5 Mar 2018 — MESSERSCHMITT-BOLKOW-BLOHM BK 117 B-2 (Air Methods Corporation)
  • 4 May 2014 — MESSERSCHMITT-BOLKOW-BLOHM BK 117 A-4 (MERCY FLIGHT INC)

Same operator

  • 2 Apr 2023 — AIRBUS HELICOPTERS EC 130 T2 (AIR METHODS CORP)
  • 4 Sep 2022 — BELL 407 (AIR METHODS CORP)
  • 29 Jul 2022 — EUROCOPTER AS350 B2 (AIR METHODS CORP)
  • 11 Jan 2022 — EUROCOPTER DEUTSCHLAND GMBH EC135 P2+ (AIR METHODS CORP)
  • 27 Oct 2020 — AMERICAN EUROCOPTER AS350B3 (AIR METHODS CORP)

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.