Airbus EC135 accident near Apple Valley, California, November 19, 2015
On November 19, 2015 at about 7:50 pm local time, a 2009 Airbus EC135 (helicopter), registered N36RX, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Apple Valley, California. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The ingestion of a towel from an unsecured storage container at the landing site into the helicopter's fenestron during the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 2015 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Apple Valley, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus EC135 P2+, built 2009
- Registration
- N36RX · registry record · serial 0859
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the airline transport pilot, firefighting personnel were using the helicopter for training to simulate patient loading and unloading. The training consisted of multiple takeoffs and landings from the training center landing site. The pilot reported that, during the third landing, when the helicopter was between 2 and 3 ft above ground level, he felt it shudder unexpectedly. The pilot immediately landed and shut down the helicopter without further incident. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. A postflight examination revealed that a towel had been ingested into the fenestron, which resulted in substantial damage to the fenestron tail rotor blades, fenestron housing body, tailboom, and tail rotor drive shaft flex couplings. The pilot reported that the towel had migrated from an unsecured storage container near the landing site. The investigation revealed that, when the towel was ingested, the fenestron hub fairing detached from the hub body, which was then ingested by the fenestron tail rotor blades. The operator's director of maintenance reported that a postaccident examination revealed that all of the main rotor blades "received a small amount of [foreign object damage] FOD…at middle cord line near the tips" and that the "damage was the result of FOD from the Fenestron [hub fairing ingestion] after the towel was ingested." This evidence indicates that the hub fairing body becoming detached due to the ingestion of the towel contributed to the severity of the damage.
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
- Simulated/training event during prior to flight
- Airport occurrence during landing defining event
- Prop/jet/rotor blast/suction during landing
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing
- Part(s) separation from AC during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › Security › Effect on equipment
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Debris/dirt/foreign object › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Tail rotor › (general) › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Tail rotor › (general) › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 580 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 8,500 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 2, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,812 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 22, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 6,414 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Pratt And Whitney PW206B2 (turboshaft); 2,811 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt And Whitney PW206B2 (turboshaft); 2,731 hours total
- Operator: Reach Air Medical Services, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: Apple Valley CA at 7:45 pm
- Destination: Apple Valley CA
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from KVCV, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on March 10, 2016. 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 | Accident Photos (Courtesy of Operator) | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Director of Maintenance's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Accident Investigation Board Norway Report 2007/35 | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 6 | EASA Safety Recommendation NORW-2007-73 | PDF, 2 pages | 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.