Bell 407 accident near Santiago, Cl, May 4, 2008
On May 4, 2008 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Bell 407 (helicopter), registered CCPHI, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santiago. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. private rules. The NTSB record does not give the injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 2008 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Santiago, Chile · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 407 · all 407s on the register
- Registration
- CCPHI · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On May 4, 2008, about 1640 Chilean local time, a Bell 407, Chilean registry CC-PHI, was substantially damaged when it impacted a highway light pole while approaching Vitacura Airport (SCLC), Santiago, Chile. The Chilean certificated private pilot and three passengers were seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The personal flight, which originated at Costa del Sol Airport (SCSO), Lago Rapel, Chile, was conducted under Chilean flight regulations. The accident investigation is under the jurisdiction of the government of Chile. Further information may be obtained from: Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil Departamento Prevencion de Accidentes Elena Blanco 1050, Providencia Santiago, Chile Tel: 56-2-4368141 Fax: 56-2-4368142 Email: segvuel@dgac.cl http://www.dgac.cl/portal/page?_pageid=239,83172&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL This report is for informational purposes only, and only contains information obtained for or released by the government of Chile.
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
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: SCSO Lago Rapel
- Destination: SCLC Santiago
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.