What happened
On February 24, 2025, at approximately 1945 EST, an Eurocopter EC 135P2+, registration N930NH, crashed near Hampstead, North Carolina. The aircraft, operated by Integra Aviation LLC for an air ambulance program, was performing a positioning flight from NHRMC-Ed North Heliport to Albert J Ellis Airport.
During the flight, the pilot was wearing night vision goggles (NVGs). According to the pilot, the NVG mount became detached from his helmet, leaving the goggles hanging by the battery pack cord. While attempting to stow the goggles and the battery pack into a storage case, the pilot reached for a strap behind his seat. During this movement, the pilot stated he dropped the NVG bag onto the collective, causing the helicopter to pitch violently forward and enter a sudden descent.
The crew, consisting of the pilot, a flight paramedic, and a flight nurse, experienced a significant loss of altitude. The aircraft struck trees before coming to rest on its left side in a wooded area involving mud and water. All three occupants sustained 3 serious injuries, including broken legs, but there were no fatalities.
Following the impact, the crew worked to extricate the flight paramedic, who was trapped in the front left seat. The flight nurse was able to use the pilot's cell phone to contact an acquaintance, who then notified flight operations. The crew was eventually rescued by a combination of personnel, including the crew of another company helicopter, local hunters, and North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers.
The investigation
Maintenance records indicated the helicopter, manufactured in 2006, had undergone its most recent continuous airworthiness inspection on February 4, 2025. At the time of that inspection, the aircraft had approximately 12,1t79.2 total flight hours. The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, rotorcraft-helicopter, and instrument airplane and helicopter, with approximately 2,080 total flight hours.