Eurocopter AS-350B2 accident near Greenville, South Carolina, September 8, 2007
On September 8, 2007 at about 7:50 pm local time, a Eurocopter AS-350B2 (helicopter), registered N505RA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenville, South Carolina (Greenville 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 descent rate during a precautionary landing, which resulted in a settling with power condition and a subsequent hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2007 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, South Carolina · Greenville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter AS-350B2 · all AS-350B2s on the register
- Registration
- N505RA · registry record · serial 3800
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The AS-350B2 helicopter was refueled, and the pilot departed on a repositioning flight. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot noticed that the key for the fuel tank cap was not in the cockpit, and he elected to make a precautionary landing to a soccer field, to check the fuel cap. During the landing approach, the helicopter began to settle, it subsequently landed hard, bounced, and rolled over. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions and stated he thought the helicopter entered into a settling with power condition.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,400 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 5,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,513 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 4,961 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Omniflight Helicopters Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: GMU Greenville SC at 7:15 pm
- Destination: 1GA3 Blairsville GA
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from GMU, 4 miles away
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.