Eurocopter EC120B N255SD
11 December 2022 · Rancho Cordova, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 11 December 2022 at about 22:17 local time, a Eurocopter EC120B registered N255SD, operated by Sacramento County Sheriffs Office, was involved in an accident near Rancho Cordova, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:17
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Rancho Cordova, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Mather (KMHR)
- Coordinates
- 38.5791, -121.2985
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter EC120B
- Registration
- N255SD
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 2000
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Sacramento County Sheriffs Office
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sacramento → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR23LA068
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot receiving instruction’s loss of helicopter control during landing with a crosswind, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The flight instructor reported that the pilot receiving instruction was practicing an offsite landing in an open area. While descending on approach to the site, the airspeed decayed to 35 kts. The flight instructor prompted for an increase in airspeed, the pilot flying acknowledged, applied forward cyclic, right pedal, and continued turning left into the wind. They encountered an uncommanded left yaw and the pilot receiving instruction added right pedal until he reached full deflection. The flight instructor then assumed control of the helicopter and pushed forward on the cyclic as he lowered the collective. The instructor attempted to recover from the uncommanded left yaw; however, but the helicopter spun several times. Unable to gain forward airspeed, the flight instructor began a descent. The helicopter subsequently landed hard substantially damaging the underside of the fuselage. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Eurocopter EC120B accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Sep 2022 | Eurocopter EC120B | Bidor, Malaysia | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Nov 2015 | Eurocopter EC120B | Goshen, Indiana, United States | Hanscopter LLC | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jul 2012 | Eurocopter EC120B | Triso, Malaysia | Sebiro Holding | Fatal | 3 |
| 4 Oct 2011 | Eurocopter EC120B | McAllen, Texas, United States | Department of Homeland Security | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Oct 2009 | Eurocopter EC120B | San José de Ocoa, Dominican Republic | Helitech S.A. | Fatal | 3 |
| 7 Mar 2007 | Eurocopter EC120B | Vreden, Germany | Souther Aircraft Consultancy Inc., Trustee | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Mar 2022 | Cessna 182D | Desert Camp, California, United States | Cloudstreet Flying Services | No injuries | - |
| 4 Sep 2022 | Bell 407 | Mount Baldy, California, United States | Air Methods Corp | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Apr 2022 | Stoddard Hamilton GLASAIR SUPER II | Oxnard, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Dec 2022 | Embraer Executive EMB-505 | Hawthorne, California, United States | Solairus Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jun 2022 | Mooney M20K | Camarillo, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Jul 2022 | North American T-28B | Fallbrook, California, United States | Mach One Air Charters Inc | Fatal | 1 |