Eurocopter France AS350B3 accident near Cibecue, Arizona, June 26, 2004
On June 26, 2004 at about 11:30 am local time, a Eurocopter France AS350B3 (helicopter), registered N5226R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cibecue, Arizona (Dirt Landing Zone airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 failure to maintain a proper decent rate during the landing approach and misjudged landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor in the accident was the brownout conditions created by the dust cloud that interfered with the pilot's perception of proximity to the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 26, 2004 · about 11:30 am local time
- Place
- Cibecue, Arizona · Dirt Landing Zone · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter France AS350B3 · all AS350B3s on the register
- Registration
- N5226R · registry record · serial 3144
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter landed hard damaging the tail boom while landing at a improvised landing zone to pickup a medical patient. Several days prior, the pilot had landed at the same landing zone (a baseball field) and recalled that he encountered a large cloud of blowing dirt and was anticipating the same thing. About 3 feet above ground level, as the helicopter slowed to about 10 knots, a dust cloud began to formulate. The pilot said that the helicopter continued to descend and made a "firm" touchdown on the right skid, followed almost immediately by the left. A medical crewmember reported that on final approach he felt as though the helicopter was descending faster than normal. As the helicopter came into ground effect, a significant amount of dust was stirred up, diminishing visibility. The medical crewmember said the skids touched down with "significant" force. The operator reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions of failures with the helicopter.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,800 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 116 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 6,600 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 18, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,253.2 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 13, 2004; 3,166.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,961 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Arriel 2B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Native American Air Ambulance INC
The flight
- Departed from: SOW Show Low Region AZ at 11:00 am
- Destination: Cibecue AZ
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.