Eurocopter AS350B accident near Sumner, Georgia, July 24, 2000
On July 24, 2000 at about 6:30 am local time, a Eurocopter AS350B (helicopter), registered N911AM, was destroyed in an accident near Sumner, Georgia. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot experienced spatial disorientation, which resulted in a loss of control of the helicopter. Contributing factors was the dark night.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2000 · about 6:30 am local time
- Place
- Sumner, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter AS350B · all AS350Bs on the register
- Registration
- N911AM · registry record · serial 1319
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was returning to the Worth County Baptist Hospital in Sylvester, Georgia. At approximately 0227, the pilot contacted the LifeFlight dispatcher and reported a Global Position System (GPS) location 7 miles west/northwest of Tifton, Georgia. No further communication was received from the pilot. Witnesses in the sparsely populated local area stated that it was a dark night and at about 0230 they heard the helicopter fly over their homes. They said the sky was clear of clouds and that the helicopter was low, maybe 400 to 500 feet above the ground. One witness stated that he watched the helicopter fly until out of site then heard a "pop sound" he said it sounded unusual and was not very loud. The flight failed to arrive at its final destination of Sylvester, Georgia. Examination of the wreckage found it localized in a heavily wooded area, with the skids buried in the ground with the trailing ends protruding upward at about a 70-degree angle. No pre-existing airframe or engine malfunctions were identified during the post crash examination.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 40 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 1,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,814 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 7, 2000; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL 1B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Critical Care Medflight, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SAV Savannah GA at 5:00 am
- Destination: SYV Sylvester GA
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 163°F (73°C), dew point 162°F (72°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:30 am from ABY, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.