What happened
On September 23, 2025, at 23:03 Pacific daylight time, an Eurocopter EC-135 T2+, registration N955AL, was involved in an accident near Whittier, Washington. The aircraft was being operated by Air Methods, LLC, performing a Part 135 air medical flight.
While returning to base, the pilot was requested to transport a medical patient. After identifying that the provided coordinates were inaccurate, the pilot coordinated with a landing zone (LZ) commander to locate the scene at an interstate highway exit. The landing surface consisted of dirt and gravel. The pilot initially performed a go-around before attempting a new approach from a different direction.
During the descent, the crew monitored surrounding obstacles, including light poles and treetops. The crewmember in the left-front seat reported accumulating dust, and the pilot experienced a brown out as visibility decreased near the terrain. Although the pilot maintained visual reference to a light on a vehicle at the scene, he continued the landing attempt due to the proximity of rising terrain and obstacles. While attempting to hover approximately two feet above the ground, the helicopter struck a mound of gravel and rolled onto its right side.
There were 4 minor injuries reported among the pilot and three medical crew members; there were no fatalities.