Aerospatiale AS350 accident near Ponca City, Oklahoma, January 11, 2019
On January 11, 2019 at about 5:45 pm local time, a 1996 Aerospatiale AS350 (helicopter), registered N346AE, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Ponca City, Oklahoma (Ponca City Regional Airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain altitude during the hover operation while his view was obstructed due to the fogged-over windshield.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 11, 2019 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ponca City, Oklahoma · Ponca City Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS350 B2, built 1996 · all AS350s on the register
- Registration
- N346AE · no longer on the register · serial 2946
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and an air ambulance crewmember were repositioning the helicopter due to incoming inclement weather. About halfway into the flight, the front windshields were fogging over, and the pilot increased the demister. Upon reaching the destination, the pilot hovered near the company hangar; by this time, the windshields had completely fogged over. The crewmember warned the pilot that he was getting close to the hangar, which was on the helicopter's left side. The pilot felt that he was high enough off the ground to move the helicopter several feet to the right, but the right skid was too low and contacted the ground, which resulted in a dynamic rollover. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the rotor blades, fuselage, and tailboom. Based on the available information, the dynamic rollover was a result of the pilot's failure to maintain altitude during the hover operation with a fogged-over windshield.
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 landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Windows › windshield system › Flight compartment windows › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,617 hours in all; 2,522 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 4,720 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,499 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 8, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 4,961 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Honeywell LTS-101-700D (turboshaft); 9,263 hours total
- Operator: Air Evac Ems Inc
The flight
- Departed from: Ponca City OK at 5:41 pm
- Destination: PNC Ponca City OK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 5:42 pm from PNC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on April 14, 2020. 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 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Medic's Statement | 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.
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.