NTSB WPR21LA027 — 2020-10-26 · Silver City, New Mexico, United States

Current FAA registration · N530H

Make / Model: AMERICAN EUROCOPTER LLC AS350B3
Year of manufacture: 2008 · 12 years old at event
Engine: TURBOMECA ARRIEL 2B1 (747 hp)
Seats / Engines: 7 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 20081022
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A6B11C

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N530H AMERICAN EUROCOPTER AS350B3 Minor

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain sufficient altitude above terrain while operating in reduced visibility due to snow showers.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to relocate the helicopter to a hangar at a nearby airport before a winter storm impacted the area. The pilot took off in moderate visual meteorological conditions and moderate rain; but as the helicopter neared the airport, the precipitation turned from rain to snow. The pilot turned final about 1 mile north of the airport when the precipitation increased, and the visibility reduced. The helicopter impacted terrain about 200 yards north of the runway surface in a mostly level attitude before it rolled onto its left side. The fuselage was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
— Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Snow-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_WPR21LA027.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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