Bell 407 N14Z

Summary

On 24 March 2023 at about 19:17 local time, a Bell 407 registered N14Z was involved in an accident near Nuevo, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 March 2023 at 19:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Nuevo, California, United States

Coordinates

33.7893, -117.0954

Aircraft

Bell 407

Registration

N14Z

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Murrietta → Big Bear

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC23FA031

2 people died.

The pilot’s decision to maneuver in a steep bank at a low altitude, which resulted in his failure to maintain clearance with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger departed in the helicopter on a personal flight over rough hilly terrain. The pilot’s cell phone was enabled with a crash notification feature, which initiated a call to a family member to notify them there may have been an accident. The family member notified first responders, and the wreckage was located near the peak of a rocky hilltop. Video recovered from cameras mounted on the outside of the helicopter shows the helicopter took off and made two low-level passes over terrain. As the pilot approached the crest of a ridgeline, he initiated a steep right turn. As the helicopter passed a rocky outcrop at the top of the hill, the main rotor blade contacted the terrain. Fragments of main rotor blades can be seen across the entire view of the camera. Reviewed medical evidence for the pilot and pilot-rated passenger indicated that they both had some risk factors for an impairing or incapacitating cardiovascular event. Although such an event cannot be excluded by autopsy evidence alone, there was no autopsy evidence that such an event occurred, and the accident circumstances were not consistent with a sudden medical event. Thus, it is unlikely that the pilot’s or pilot-rated passenger’s medical conditions contributed to the accident. Examination of the helicopter revealed no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.