Eurocopter AS365N3 incident near Dayton, Ohio, July 4, 2010
On July 4, 2010 at about 7:09 am local time, a Eurocopter AS365N3 (helicopter), registered N520CF, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute near Dayton, Ohio (Moraine Air Park airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The unintentional movement of the jettison handle in-flight due to the pilot’s dropping of a manual that impacted the handle and released the door window, which then impacted the horizontal stabilizer. Contributing to the accident was the jettison handle guard not being installed by maintenance personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2010 · about 7:09 am local time
- Place
- Dayton, Ohio · Moraine Air Park · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter AS365N3 · all AS365N3s on the register
- Registration
- N520CF · no longer on the register · serial 6537
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The emergency medical services transport helicopter sustained minor damage when a door window separated in-flight. The pilot dropped a flight manual during cruise flight that impacted the right center door jettison handle, allowing the window to separate and impact the horizontal stabilizer. The required jettison handle guard was not installed. The helicopter’s maintenance manual directs that the crew and passenger doors be checked every 600 hours of flight time or every two years. The manual requires the following steps to reinstall the doors, "Install the Plexiglas protective cover." Subsequent to the accident, the helicopter manufacturer issued Safety Information Notices which described the incident and reminded mechanics that while performing routine maintenance procedures, in particular assembly procedures, “it is important to strictly comply with all applicable maintenance procedures, including the most basic and simple ones, to ensure proper helicopter performance and flight safety.”
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
What happened, in order
- Part(s) separation from AC during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Doors › Passenger/crew doors › Unintentional use/operation
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incomplete action › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,120 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 15, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,570 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 23, 2010; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,480 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Turbomeca ARRIEL 2C (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Turbomeca ARRIEL 2C (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Methods CORP
The flight
- Departed from: I68 Lebanon OH at 7:04 am
- Destination: Huber Heights OH
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 am from MGY, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 3 |
Other NTSB records under N520CF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN10IA372.