Eurocopter EC135 accident near Kiskunlachaza, Hu, July 31, 2008
On July 31, 2008 at about 1:40 am local time, a Eurocopter EC135 (helicopter), registered HAECE, was destroyed in an accident near Kiskunlachaza. It was flown under rules the NTSB did not record. 2 people were killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2008 · about 1:40 am local time
- Place
- Kiskunlachaza, Hungary
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter EC135 T2 · all EC135s on the register
- Registration
- HAECE · no longer on the register · serial 0359
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · rules the NTSB did not record
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On July 31, 2008, at approximately 1343 local time, an OMSZ Legimento Kht Eurocopter, EC-135 T2, having registration HA-ECE crashed as it was attempting an emergency landing about 2.2 kilometers directly south of Budapest, near Kiskunlachaza Hungary. The MEDIC-14 helicopter was transporting a burn victim from Paks, Hungary to Budapest when radar contact was lost. The Transportation Safety Bureau of Hungary is conducting a full investigation into this accident. The NTSB has assigned a US accredited representative as the state of manufacture under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13. This report is for informational purposes only and contains only information obtained from, or released by the government of Hungary.
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
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.