Accident
On February 24, 2025, at approximately 1945 eastern standard time, a Eurocopter Deutschland GMBH EC 135P2+, registration N930NH, was destroyed in an accident near Hampstead, North Carolina. The helicopter was operated by Integra Aviation LLC dba Apollo MedFlight for Novant Health’s AirLink air ambulance program. The flight was a positioning flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. The pilot, flight paramedic, and flight nurse sustained serious injuries.
The helicopter, callsign AirLink1 (AL1), had departed NHRMC-Ed North Heliport (45NR) in Wilmington, North Carolina, at about 1938 after off-loading a patient from an interfacility transfer and refueling. The flight was destined for Albert J Ellis Airport (OAJ) in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Air Traffic Control Communications
After liftoff, AL1 contacted the control tower at Wilmington International Airport (ILM) at about 1939. Local Control (LC) instructed AL1 to remain south of runway 24 and ident. At 1940, LC cleared AL1 on course with a restriction to remain east of runway 17. At 1943, LC instructed AL1 to contact Wilmington Approach (WAP) on 135.75. At 1944, WAP requested an altitude report. At 1945, WAP and LC discussed the possibility that AL1 had gone down. Multiple attempts to contact AL1 were unsuccessful. A company helicopter, AirLink2, was asked to search. Other aircraft and authorities were notified.
Pilot Account
The pilot reported that after refueling, he lifted off and headed northeast, staying east of runway 17/35 at ILM as instructed, below 600 feet to avoid departing traffic. Once clear, he climbed to 1,000 feet en route to OAJ with the autopilot engaged, wearing night vision goggles (NVGs). Shortly after reaching 1,000 feet, the NVGs and mount came off his helmet visor and hung by the battery cord. He disconnected the NVGs from the battery pack, placed them in his lap, then reached overhead to retrieve the NVG case from behind his seat. He put the goggles, battery pack, and mount into the case. He could not recall zipping the case closed. At some point, the case rolled off his lap to the left, and when he reached for it, the helicopter pitched violently forward and began descending.
The pilot attempted to regain control and remembered entering trees. His next memory was standing next to the helicopter, which was on its left side. He helped the flight nurse free the flight paramedic, who was trapped in the front left seat. They moved the paramedic to a nearby tree. The pilot used his cell phone to call for rescue and sent a location ping.
Flight Paramedic Account
The flight paramedic recalled reaching 1,000 feet with the autopilot engaged. When the pilot’s NVGs fell off, he offered to help. The pilot indicated he would remove them. After the pilot took off the goggles and placed them in the case, the helicopter entered a nosedive. The pilot recovered briefly, but the paramedic saw trees and felt impacts. The pilot said, “hold on guys,” and flared before impact. The paramedic covered his face and felt the helicopter hit the ground, with the dashboard coming down on his legs and mud and water hitting his face.
Flight Nurse Account
The flight nurse was seated in the aft-facing seat on the pilot side. She heard the conversation about the NVG mount falling off. After a huge loss of altitude, the pilot asked if she was okay. She then heard scraping and the pilot said, “guys hang on.” The helicopter went through trees, and dirt and water flew. After coming to rest on its left side, she unbuckled and egressed. She obtained the pilot’s cell phone and called a contact, reporting the crash and injuries. The pilot later said he dropped the NVG bag on the collective.
Additional Information
The pilot held a commercial certificate with rotorcraft and instrument ratings, with about 2,080 total hours, including 1,556 in rotorcraft and 24 in the accident make and model. His most recent FAA first-class medical was issued June 10, 2024. The helicopter was manufactured in 2006 and had its most recent continuous airworthiness inspection on February 4, 2025, at about 12,179.2 total hours.
The recorded weather at ILM at 1953 included calm wind, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 7°C, dew point 4°C, and an altimeter of 30.02 inches of mercury. Sunset was at 1804; civil twilight ended at 1829. Dark nighttime conditions prevailed.
The wreckage was retained for examination.