History of Flight
On October 8, 2023, about 1932 eastern daylight time, a Bell 407 helicopter, registration N802JR, was involved in an accident near Croydon, New Hampshire. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated by JBI Helicopter Services under 14 CFR Part 91 as a positioning flight.
Two days prior, on October 6, the same pilot had landed the helicopter on private property due to poor weather. The field was known to company pilots as a safe area. The pilot was picked up by car and ended his shift. He had no scheduled flights on October 7 and most of October 8. On the accident day, around 1700, management contacted the pilot to arrange an aerial photo mission for the following day from Quonset State Airport. The accident flight was a positioning flight from the off-airport landing site to Quonset, about 115 miles south. The pilot played golf with friends earlier and planned to reposition the helicopter afterward.
Data from an Appareo Vision 1000 recorder showed the helicopter took off about 1931, climbed vertically to about 500 ft agl, then flew northeast, climbing to 600-700 ft agl. The helicopter turned east and southeast, descending while ground speed increased, then impacted trees and terrain about 600 ft southeast of the last recorded position.
A witness heard the helicopter flying overhead, saw its lights on, and described the engine as very loud. The sound abruptly stopped, but she did not hear an impact. Company personnel noticed the position broadcast stopped and initiated a search. The wreckage was located about 0200 on October 9.
Recorded data showed the helicopter powered on at 1919:35, with preflight activities. The HeliSAS Stability Augmentation System (SAS) was in standby (white light). The pilot adjusted instrument brightness before engine start. He entered a waypoint for Quonset in the GPS. At 1925:04, he briefly exited, re-entered, put on his helmet, and started the engine. Run-up completed at 1929:23. At 1930:46, the helicopter hovered and took off; standby altimeter indicated 1,700 ft (field elevation about 1,110 ft).
At 1931:18, altitude was about 1,850 ft, trim ball full left deflection, and the pilot said, “Ah [expletive], it’s too dark.” At 1931:42, altitude 2,450 ft, airspeed 20 kts, red chevrons appeared indicating extreme nose-down attitude. The pilot exclaimed and then said, “What am I doing?” At 1931:49, altitude 2,400 ft, airspeed 70 kts, double red chevron indicated extreme nose-down attitude for about 3 seconds. The helicopter was in uncoordinated flight with full right needle and full left ball. Large rapid cyclic movements were observed, primarily forward and right, then two full left cyclic inputs. About two seconds later, a terrain warning appeared on the MFD. At 1931:53, “warning terrain terrain” was announced four times until recording end. At 1931:57, ‘Check Instrument’ annunciator illuminated for about 3 seconds, coinciding with engine torque gauge and Trend ARC flashing, consistent with an impending power exceedance.
At 1932:00, the pilot momentarily reached toward the Garmin 696 (the brightest display). Altitude decreased to 2,100 ft, airspeed 120 kts, red chevron again appeared, extreme nose-down, uncoordinated flight in extreme right bank with full right needle and full left ball. Engine torque near maximum, large cyclic movements continued. At 1932:04, altitude 2,050 ft, airspeed 125 kts, red chevron remained, same uncoordinated condition, engine torque flashed, ‘Check Instrument’ illuminated again and stayed on. At 1932:06, gauges blurred, trees illuminated by the spot light, altitude 1,900 ft, airspeed 125 kts. Video ended one second later.
Pilot Information
The commercial pilot held ratings for airplane single- and multi-engine land and sea, rotorcraft helicopter, and instrument airplane and helicopter. He held a flight instructor certificate. On October 19, 2022, he was issued a second-class medical certificate with an interim issuance not valid after October 31, 2023. Operator records showed he primarily flew daylight hours over the previous 12 months; no night currency was tracked. His most recent Part 135 proficiency check was on March 22, 2023, which included evaluation of unusual attitude recovery, white out/brown out (verbal discussion), and other items. The check pilot reported that the pilot did not use the HeliSAS system during the check, but records indicated he satisfactorily used the autopilot in 2016. The company president stated the pilot had trained others on HeliSAS.
Helicopter Information
The Bell 407 was equipped with an S-TEC HeliSAS/Autopilot system per STC SR02344LA. The flight manual supplement described the SAS as a two-axis stability augmentation system with attitude-command-attitude-hold. The SAS could be engaged via a button on the HCP or cyclic FTR button. During the accident flight, the SAS remained in standby (white light) throughout; it was not activated. No preimpact malfunctions were found; engine data showed high power throughout.
Meteorological Information
At accident time, the sun was 14.38° below horizon, moon 23° below horizon (waning crescent, 27.8% illuminated). A witness described the night as dark, with no wind, rain, or clouds. There was light reflectivity about 2 miles south but no precipitation along the flight path.
Wreckage and Examination
The debris path spanned about 485 ft on a southerly heading of 193°, from initial impact with a 100-ft pine tree to the co-located fuselage and engine. Strong fuel odor present. Airframe and engine examination found no preimpact mechanical anomalies. Engine ECU showed near 100% power throughout.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsy determined cause of death as multiple blunt impact injuries; manner accidental. Atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease was identified, including moderate-to-marked coronary artery disease with prior bypass grafts, enlarged heart, and left ventricular thickening. The pilot had reported his heart condition to the FAA and received a waiver. Toxicology was negative for carboxyhemoglobin and ethanol; positive for acetaminophen, rosuvastatin, and metoprolol, which are not generally considered impairing.