Eurocopter Deutschland EC 135 P2 accident near Oxon Hill, Maryland, January 11, 2005
On January 11, 2005 at about 4:11 am local time, a Eurocopter Deutschland EC 135 P2 (helicopter), registered N136LN, was destroyed in an accident near Oxon Hill, Maryland. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to identify and arrest the helicopter's descent, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident were the dark night conditions, limited outside visual references, and the lack of an operable radar altimeter in the helicopter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 11, 2005 · about 4:11 am local time
- Place
- Oxon Hill, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter Deutschland EC 135 P2
- Registration
- N136LN · no longer on the register · serial 0336
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board's full brief is available at http://ntsb.gov/Publictn/publictn.htm. The Aviation Accident Brief number is NTSB/AAB-07/04. On January 10, 2005, about 2311 eastern standard time, a Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH EC-135 P2 helicopter, N136LN, operated by LifeNet, Inc., as Life Evac 2, crashed into the Potomac River during low-altitude cruise flight near Oxon Hill, Maryland. The certificated commercial pilot and the flight paramedic were killed, and the flight nurse received serious injuries. The helicopter was destroyed. The positioning flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 and visual flight rules with a company flight plan filed. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,841 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 9 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: February 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 166 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 1, 2004; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,997 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney 206B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney 206B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Life Net Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: DC08 Washington DC at 4:04 am
- Destination: RMN Stafford VA
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 13,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 am from DCA, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | 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.