What happened
On July 17, 2014, at 0142 mountain daylight time, an Agusta A109E helicopter, N507CF, collided with a mesa near Newkirk, New Mexico. The flight was a positioning mission operated by TriState CareFlight LLC, traveling from Santa Fe Municipal Airport to a hospital in Tucumcari, New Mexico. The crew, consisting of a commercial pilot, a flight nurse, and a paramedic, sustained 3 fatal injuries. Following the impact, a post-impact fire destroyed the majority of the aircraft.
Prior to the flight, the pilot received an emergency medical services request and accepted the mission after a brief 20-second weather assessment. The pilot notified the company operations center of his departure at 0050, which served as the final communication from the crew.
GPS data from the aircraft indicated that during the flight, the helicopter performed a descending 360-degree turn and later maneuvered toward a major highway, likely attempting to follow city lights due to reduced visibility. The aircraft eventually entered a tightening left turn and began a rapid descent, reaching an estimated final descent rate of 14,760 feet per minute before impacting the terrain.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage, which was located on the north side of a mesa approximately 150 feet above the surrounding terrain. While the post-impact fire consumed much of the fuselage, all main airframe and engine components were accounted for. Examination of the flight controls showed fracture signatures consistent with overload or thermal damage, but no pre-impact anomalies were found in the engines or linkages.
Meteorological analysis revealed that an outflow boundary wave was likely passing through the accident site at the time of the crash. This weather pattern brought the potential for increased wind shear, strong updrafts and downdrafts, and reduced visibility. Additionally, mid- and low-level cloud cover likely obscured the moon, meaning the pilot's night vision goggles (NVGs) had no lunar or celestial light to amplify, leaving only minimal cultural light from the remote area available.
Findings
- The pilot's inadvertent visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) led to a loss of helicopter control.
- The helicopter encountered an outflow boundary wave, which increased the risk of wind shear and turbulence.
- The pilot was operating in a remote area with minimal light sources available for night vision goggles.
- The aircraft was flying in an area known for potential low visibility even when surrounding stations reported clear weather.