Eurocopter AS 350 B3 accident near Poway, California, February 25, 2012
On February 25, 2012 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Eurocopter AS 350 B3 (helicopter), registered N118MB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Poway, California. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions during landing, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 25, 2012 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Poway, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter AS 350 B3 · all AS 350 B3s on the register
- Registration
- N118MB · registry record · serial 3535
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was approaching a landing zone on a flat pinnacle with a tailwind. The helicopter was within 50 feet of the landing area in a slow, stable, shallow approach when it encountered an updraft. When the helicopter flew out of the updraft, it abruptly descended to the ground. The helicopter landed hard, and the impact buckled the tail boom and sheared off the left landing gear skid.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Updraft › Contributed to outcome
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › (general) › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,701 hours in all; 2,181 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 115 in the last 30 days; 16,626 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 16, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,473 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 5, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 4,961 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL 2B1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mountain Air Helicopters INC
The flight
- Departed from: N/A Poway CA at 10:12 pm
- Destination: N/A Poway CA
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from NKS, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR12CA118.