Aircraft Accident Report: Crash After Encounter with Instrument Meteorological Conditions During Takeoff from Remote Landing Site, New Mexico State Police Agusta S.p.A. A-109E, N606SP, Near Santa Fe, New Mexico, June 9, 2009

This accident report discusses the June 9, 2009, accident involving an Agusta S.p.A. A-109E helicopter, N606SP, which impacted terrain following visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The commercial pilot and one passenger were fatally injured; a highway patrol officer who was acting as a spotter during the accident flight was seriously injured. The entire aircraft was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to the New Mexico Department of Public Safety and operated by the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) on a public search and rescue mission under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The safety issues discussed in this report include the pilot’s decision-making, flight and duty times and rest periods, NMSP staffing, safety management system programs and risk assessments, communications between the NMSP pilots and volunteer search and rescue organization personnel, instrument flying, and flight-following equipment.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR1104.pdf
• 
• Summary URL:
  • http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/AAR1104.aspx
• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20594
• Publication Date: 2011-5-24

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: 88p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pilots; Air transportation crashes; Communication; Crash injuries; Fatalities; Helicopters; Risk assessment; Safety management; Visual flight; Weather conditions
• Identifier Terms: AgustaWestland helicopters
• Geographic Terms: Santa Fe (New Mexico)
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors; I80: Accident Studies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01343389
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: NTSB/AAR-11/04, Notation 8306
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 30 2011 4:15PM