2 fatal · BELL 407 · 2017-08-12 · Charlottesville, VA, USA
Event
NTSB number
ERA17FA274
Event ID
20170813X82426
Type
Accident
Date
2017-08-12
Location
Charlottesville, VA, USA
Coordinates
38.034168, -78.529441
Injuries
Highest injury
FATL
Fatal
2
Serious
0
Minor
0
Uninjured
0
Total aboard
2
Aircraft
Make
BELL
Model
407
Registration
N31VA
FAR Part
PUBU
Engines
1
Damage
DEST
Conditions
Light
DAYL
Weather
VMC
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of helicopter control after entry into vortex ring state, leading to a high rate of descent to the ground with a right spin. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent and recurrent training in vortex ring state recognition and recovery.