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| Date: | Tuesday 5 March 2024 |
| Time: | 15:00 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS350B3e Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Med-Trans Corp |
| Registration: | N853MB |
| MSN: | 7294 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2012 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3731 hours |
| Engine model: | Sarfran Arriel 2D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Fort Morgan, CO -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Ambulance |
| Departure airport: | NCMC Heliport, CO (98CO) |
| Colorado Plains Medical Center Heliport, CO (0CD1) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that during approach to a hospital helipad, two red-tail hawks flew into the path of the helicopter and his evasive actions were unsuccessful in avoiding the birds. The birds struck the windscreen and fragments of the windscreen impacted the rotor blades. The pilot made an uneventful landing in a nearby open field. The rotor blades were substantially damaged.
Probable Cause: An inflight collision with a bird while on approach.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN24LA129
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 31 January 2025 | N853MB | Med-Trans Corp | 0 | Greeley County Airport (GXY/KGXY), Greeley, CO | |
unk |
| Bird strike | ||||||
Location
Media:
A helicopter was reported to have been involved in an emergency landing near Fort Morgan on Tuesday, which is along Interstate 76 northeast of Denver. https://t.co/yxwSlOovke pic.twitter.com/Xwzs5VEUys
— Channel 2 KWGN (@channel2kwgn) March 5, 2024
An impact with two red-tail hawks smashed the windscreen & the visor of the pilot\'s helmet and ripped the helmet off.https://t.co/8VXlVJVz9N #airambulance #helicopter #birdstrike #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/KYjphFeVUR
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) July 17, 2024
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Mar-2024 09:40 | ASN | Added |
| 06-Mar-2024 09:41 | ASN | Updated [Operator, ] |
| 19-Mar-2024 21:24 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
| 13-Jul-2024 16:55 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, ] |
| 17-Jul-2024 10:21 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code, ] |
| 17-Jul-2024 10:21 | Aerossurance | Updated [Phase, Embed code, ] |
| 20-Jul-2024 07:27 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 20-Jul-2024 08:29 | ASN | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Nature, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 29-Jul-2024 13:55 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Total occupants, Departure airport, Destination airport, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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