Eurocopter MBB-BK accident near Cherry Point, North Carolina, December 29, 2010
On December 29, 2010 at about 7:23 am local time, a Eurocopter MBB-BK (helicopter), registered N854EC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Cherry Point, North Carolina (Cherry Point Marine Corp Air 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 pilot's impairment during cruise flight due to a recurring stroke. Contributing to the accident was the Federal Aviation Administration's inadequate oversight of the pilot's known medical condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 2010 · about 7:23 am local time
- Place
- Cherry Point, North Carolina · Cherry Point Marine Corp Air · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter MBB-BK 117C-2
- Registration
- N854EC · registry record · serial 9327
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a night emergency medical services flight with no patient on board. When the helicopter was about 12 miles south of the airport, he radioed air traffic control (ATC) and declared an emergency, due to a personal medical incapacitation. He requested a vector to a nearby airport and in response the controller provided him with a position report and began giving him vectors. Subsequently, the pilot overflew the airport and was then given a vector back to the airport. The pilot landed on a runway at the airport with assistance on the flight controls by a flight nurse seated in the front seat. During the landing the helicopter bounced and experienced a hard landing. The helicopter, which was examined by personnel at the helicopter's manufacturer, sustained substantial damage to the structure. Postaccident interviews with the pilot revealed that while in cruise flight, and shortly after he disengaged the autopilot, his right arm fell to his side. Medical records of the pilot’s treatment following the accident documented the sudden onset of right hand weakness and slurred speech while piloting the helicopter, with the subsequent identification of two recent strokes on an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical records documented that the pilot also had experienced a small stroke approximately 4 years prior to the accident. There was no evidence in the FAA records of any formal evaluation of the risk of a recurrent stroke for this pilot or of any formal FAA neurology evaluation. The pilot's records did reflect that no definitive cause for a previous stroke was found, that the pilot had a family history of stroke, that the pilot was increasingly obese, and that the pilot’s physician had discontinued a medication prescribed in part to reduce the pilot’s risk of a future stroke.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute (cruise)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › (general) › Pilot
- factor Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of personnel › FAA/Regulator
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › (general) › (general) › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 10,390 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 2, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 121 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 24, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 7,905 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Turbomeca Arriel 1E2 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Turbomeca Arriel 1E2 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Methods
The flight
- Departed from: NC91 Greenville NC at 6:35 am
- Destination: Morehead City NC
- Runway 14L, 8,984 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 am from NKT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.