Accident · 2005-01-29
What the record says
- Event date
- 2005-01-29
- Event type
- Accident
- Highest injury level
- No injuries
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter AS 350 B3 (N351LG)
- Operating rule
- Part 91
- Operator
- operator not named in the NTSB record
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter, and his improper use of night vision goggles (NVG). Contributing factors were the pilot's spatial disorientation, his self-induced pressure to return the helicopter to its home base, his lack of experience in the use of NVG's, his use of exterior lights on a dark night light, under overcast skies, and against snow-covered terrain.
Source: NTSB case DEN05LA053Flight crew
Flight-crew details for this event aren't in the NTSB database extract we hold (its coverage starts with 2008 events) — a gap in our data, not an absence of crew.
Facts as the NTSB records them — GroundCheck adds no judgement. Preliminary records may be revised as the investigation proceeds.