History of Flight
On July 29, 2022, at approximately 1402 central daylight time, a Eurocopter AS 350 B2, registration N124LN, operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 as an air medical flight, was substantially damaged in an accident near Andalusia, Alabama. The commercial pilot and one crewmember were seriously injured, and a second crewmember sustained minor injuries.
The flight departed a base in Evergreen, Alabama, on a roughly 15-minute cruise at 2,000 ft mean sea level, destined for Andalusia Health Hospital to pick up a patient. In a postaccident interview, the pilot reported recalling that he had reported 7 miles from South Alabama Regional Airport (79J) on the common traffic advisory frequency for traffic avoidance, as an airplane had just departed 79J. The pilot also remembered feeling sweaty and clammy toward the end of the flight. He recalled someone telling him to “pull up” three times and then remembered receiving on-site medical care after the accident. He did not recall the accident sequence.
The flight paramedic stated that as the helicopter approached the hospital helipad and descended, it seemed low, with the helipad still about 1 mile away. The flight nurse, seated behind the pilot, tapped the pilot on the shoulder and said they were too low. The pilot replied “yeah, yeah, yeah,” initially leveled off, but then the nose pitched down into another descent. At that point, the flight nurse made a mayday call, shook the pilot’s seat, and told him to “pullup, pullup, pullup.” The helicopter subsequently nosed up, made a left turn, and impacted a field on its right side. The flight nurse was critically injured and could not provide a statement.
Witnesses in the field near the accident site reported that the helicopter flew overhead at about 300 ft above ground level, then nosed up 90° or more before turning left and impacting trees, powerlines, and the ground.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage came to rest on its right side, oriented about 165° magnetic. An approximately 100-ft debris path was oriented on a westerly heading. The path began with fallen tree branches and powerlines, followed by the aft tail boom and the main wreckage at the end. The three main rotor blades remained attached to their hinges; however, all three star arms were fractured at about a 45° angle, and the blades rested on the ground stacked. The aft tail section separated in two sections, forward of the horizontal stabilizer and forward of the tail rotor gearbox. The tail rotor system remained attached to the vertical stabilizer; one blade exhibited tip damage, and the other partially separated at the root. The tail rotor drive shaft separated at the flex coupling and at the forward steel short shaft. The right horizontal stabilizer had leading edge damage consistent with a wire strike.
The helicopter was equipped with an air medical interior, with a right pilot seat and a litter in place of the left pilot seat. Two rear seats were for the flight paramedic and flight nurse. Flight control continuity was traced from the cyclic and collective through crushed and separated push-pull tubes (the left lateral cyclic control push-pull tube and bellcrank under the transmission deck were fractured and separated, consistent with impact forces) to the main rotor system. Anti-torque system continuity was traced from the pedals through crushed push-pull tubes to the flexball cable to the aft tail rotor servo. Three of the four transmission suspension bars were broken. The engine remained installed with front and rear mounts intact; the gas generator and free turbine could be rotated by hand. The axial compressor exhibited impact marks consistent with foreign object ingestion. The intake bellmouth separated at the three connection points to the compressor casing. Continuity was confirmed through the gas generator to the accessory gearbox and from the free turbine to the end of the transmission shaft. The flector group between the transmission shaft and main transmission input separated.
Flight Recorders
An Appareo Vision 1000 cockpit video recorder was retained and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Vehicle Recorders Laboratory for data download. The recorder’s SD card was in the locked position, and no data from the accident flight had been stored on it. Additionally, no data was retrieved from the unit’s internal memory.
Medical and Pathological Information
The pilot’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certification file, postaccident emergency treatment records, and selected personal medical records were reviewed. Results from toxicological testing performed by the FAA Forensic Sciences laboratory on specimens collected during the pilot’s initial postaccident hospital care were also reviewed.
The pilot’s most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on April 22, 2022. At that time, he reported no medication use or active medical conditions. Seven days later, on April 29, 2022, the pilot visited a primary care physician and reported a history of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which he had been treating with an oral appliance since 2015. The pilot did not report his OSA to the FAA.
After the accident, the pilot was admitted to the hospital and underwent evaluation for injury and syncope (loss of consciousness). No definitive cause of the syncope was identified.
FAA toxicological testing revealed ethanol in blood at 0.024 g/dL and in urine at 0.08 g/dL. Benzoylecgonine, an inactive metabolite of cocaine, was detected at 165 ng/mL in urine but not in blood. Cocaethylene, a substance that forms in the body when cocaine is metabolized in the presence of ethanol, was detected in urine but not in blood. According to hospital records, the pilot’s initial blood collection was at 1539 on the date of the accident, and his initial urine collection was at 1729.
Ethanol can adversely affect judgment, coordination, perception, cognition, and vigilance. Even small amounts can impair pilot performance, with errors increasing with blood ethanol level. FAA regulations prohibit piloting a civil aircraft within 8 hours of drinking ethanol or with a blood ethanol level of 0.04 g/dL or greater. Ethanol is typically eliminated at a rate of about 0.01 to 0.035 g/dL per hour.
Cocaine (metabolites detected in this case) is a stimulant drug commonly used illicitly. It is a Schedule II controlled substance and is prohibited under FAA drug and alcohol regulations for on-demand operators. Cocaine has potentially impairing psychological and physiological effects and increases the risk of cardiovascular problems. The major inactive metabolite benzoylecgonine may be detected in urine for days after last use. Symptoms from crashing or withdrawing after stopping cocaine use may last for days to weeks.
Review of law enforcement records revealed that the pilot had a conviction for driving under the influence (DUI) in 2012 and an arrest for DUI in May 2022. The pilot did not report his DUI history to his employer or to the FAA before the accident. On the day before the accident, the pilot called out sick from work, reporting a stomach illness.