Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
N/A Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Somerville, Tennessee 38068
Tuesady, October 22, 2013 6:05 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
On October 22, 2013, about 0605 central daylight time (CDT), a Eurocopter AS 350 B3, N353HW, impacted trees and terrain near Somerville, Tennessee. The certificated commercial pilot, a registered nurse, and a respiratory therapist were fatally injured; the helicopter was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Memphis Medical Center Air Ambulance Service, doing business as Hospital Wing, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, as a positioning flight. Night, visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on a company visual flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from Hospital Wing Heliport (2TN0), Memphis, Tennessee, and was en route to Whitehurst Field Heliport (60TN), Bolivar, Tennessee.
The purpose of the flight was to position the helicopter at Bolivar to board a patient for transport to Memphis. According to satellite tracking data provided by the operator, the helicopter departed 2TN0 at 0547 and proceeded in an easterly direction, following U.S. Highway 64. About 18 minutes later, the helicopter was observed in a climb and in a right turn away from the observed course. The last data point indicated that the helicopter was on a course of 146 degrees and at 98 knots ground speed and at an altitude of 1,560 feet above mean sea level.
The operator dispatched two aircraft to the last known position of N353HW after the pilot did not make the normal 10-minute position report. One of the pilots observed a fire in a rural area about 19 miles west of 60TN. First responders confirmed that the helicopter had crashed at that location.
The aircraft wreckage debris was located in a wooded area surrounded by cotton and soybean fields, approximately 3,300 feet south of U.S. Highway 64, in Somerville. The majority of the aircraft structure was burned and totally consumed by impact forces and a post-impact fire. The helicopter impacted trees prior to impacting the ground. The energy path was generally oriented on a magnetic heading of approximately 090 degrees.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 10/22/2013 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 605 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | Somerville |
| Event State | TENNESSEE |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 38068 |
| Event Date Year | 2013 |
| Event Date Month | 10 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 351348N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0892249W |
| Event Location Airport | N/A |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | -- |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 553 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 235 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | MKL |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 434 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 35 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 4000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 11 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 8 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 30 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 7 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.05 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | 2013-10-22 05:53 METAR KMKL 221053Z AUTO 03007KT 1 |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | -- |
| NTSB Notification Source | Operator |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 30 2013 12:55PM |
| User who most recently changed record | kenj |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N353HW |
| NTSB Number | ERA14FA010 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | Company VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | EUROCOPTER |
| Aircraft Model | AS 350 B3 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 3401 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 4961 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | 1 |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | 3 |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Sep 24 2013 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 6372 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | C126 |
| Aircraft Owner Name | MEMPHIS MEDICAL CENTER DBA |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 1080 EASTMORELAND AVE |
| Aircraft Owner City | MEMPHIS |
| Aircraft Owner State | TN |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 381043327 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | MEMPHIS MEDICAL CENTER DBA |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | 1080 EASTMORELAND AVE |
| Operator City | MEMPHIS |
| Operator State | TN |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 381043327 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Positioning |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | 2TN0 |
| Departure City | Memphis |
| Departure State | TN |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 547 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | 60TN |
| Destination City | Bolivar |
| Destination State | TN |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 30 2013 12:49PM |
| User who most recently changed record | kenj |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | N/A |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | Yes |
| Medical Flight | Medical Emergency |