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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2010 · about 7:09 am local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Dayton, Ohio · Moraine Air Park · cases near this airport · 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 other cases naming the airframe structure
- 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on January 3, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Correspondence - Excerpt from Air Methods Response to N520CF Emergency Handle Covers | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Other Pertinent Forms and Reports - Maintenance Manual Excerpt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Other Pertinent Forms and Reports - Trainees Hand Manual Excerpt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N520CF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N520CF: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Airbus Helicopters AS-365 20 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Airbus Helicopters 267 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL 2C 10 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL 2C 10 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Moraine Air Park Airport · nearest airport
- Warren County/John Lane Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Ohio 1,884 since 1982 · 253 in the last ten years
- Ohio 8,529 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N520CF 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN10IA372.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.