Eurocopter AS 350 B2 accident near Morgantown, West Virginia, June 24, 2009
On June 24, 2009 at about 4:30 am local time, a Eurocopter AS 350 B2 (helicopter), registered N106HN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Morgantown, West Virginia (Morgantown Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the helicopter during the practice hovering autorotation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of experience in night vision goggle helicopter operations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2009 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Morgantown, West Virginia · Morgantown Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter AS 350 B2 · all AS 350 B2s on the register
- Registration
- N106HN · no longer on the register · serial 2818
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 1.5 hours after beginning an introductory instructional flight in the use of night vision goggles (NVGs), the pilot and the flight instructor returned to the airport to practice autorotations from a hover. After establishing the helicopter in a 3-foot hover, the flight instructor moved the fuel flow control lever toward the idle cutoff position. The pilot responded by increasing collective pitch, and the helicopter began to ascend, and as a result, the rotor rpm decayed. The flight instructor attempted to apply corrective action, but the pilot physically resisted his efforts. The helicopter descended rapidly to the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the tailboom. The pilot noted that during the maneuver, he had misjudged the helicopter’s height above the ground, due to the decreased peripheral vision afforded by the NVGs. This was the pilot’s first flight operating with NVGs.
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
- Autorotation Loss of control in flight defining event
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,869 hours in all; 650 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 4,947 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 12, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,664 hours in all; 147 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 2,492 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 20, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,113 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 23, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 4,960 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL 1SER (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Methods Corporation Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: MGW Morgantown WV at 3:40 am
- Destination: MGW Morgantown WV
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.