The Bell 407 was 32 seconds into a nighttime repositioning flight when the 13,800-hour commercial pilot commented on the dark night conditions; less than a minute later, he lost control of the helicopter during an initial climb from a field in Croydon, New Hampshire, U.S. The 70-second flight ended when the 407 crashed into the field, killing the pilot, who was the only occupant. The helicopter received substantial damage.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in its final report on the Oct. 8, 2023, accident that the probable cause was the pilot’s loss of control during the initial climb in dark night conditions due to spatial disorientation, which resulted in a steep banking descent into trees and terrain.”
The NTSB cited as contributing factors “the pilot’s lack of recent night flight experience, improper cockpit lighting settings, and his failure to use the helicopter’s stability augmentation system before and during the unusual attitu…
