The emergency medical services Bell 407 was 10 to 15 ft (3 to 5 m) above the ground and approaching the helipad at Headland (Alabama, U.S.) Municipal Airport, when it abruptly rolled left; the pilot made no attempt to correct the roll, and the 407 crashed into the ground.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in its final report that the probable cause of the Dec. 25, 2019, accident was the incapacitation of the 61-year-old pilot because of a sudden cardiac event associated with his severe coronary artery disease.
The pilot died in the crash – with his death attributed to “cardiovascular disease, complicated by blunt force injuries” and the manner of his death characterized as “accident” – which occurred in darkness at 1713 local time; the skies were clear and there was little wind at the time. The flight nurse and paramedic, who were uninjured, observed that the pilot was unresponsive and not breathing. With help from a pilot who witn…
