Airbus Helicopters AS 350 B3 accident near Lordsburg, New Mexico, October 17, 2014
On October 17, 2014 at about 6:45 pm local time, a 2002 Airbus Helicopters AS 350 B3, registered N852BP, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Lordsburg, New Mexico. It was a public-use flight (federal) under public-use (government) rules. 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate drift control and skid clearance from the ground during takeoff, which resulted in a dynamic rollover when the aft right skid contacted a rock.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2014 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lordsburg, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Helicopters AS 350 B3, built 2002 · all AS 350 B3s on the register
- Registration
- N852BP · no longer on the register · serial 3592
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight (federal) · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter departed from level terrain and then drifted backward. The aft right skid then contacted a rock that was embedded in the ground, which resulted in the helicopter pivoting around the rock, the rotor blades impacting the ground, and the helicopter rolling over onto its right side. Examination of wreckage revealed no anomalies with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. A review of data from the vehicle engine multifunction display revealed that all of the recorded failures were associated with the ground impact and that no preimpact anomalies occurred. The evidence is consistent with a dynamic rollover event.
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
- Dynamic rollover during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action sequence › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 11, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,081 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 23, 2014
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Arriel 2B (turboshaft); 5,474 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DMN Deming NM at 1:30 pm
- Destination: DMN Deming NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from KDUG, 38 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.