Amateur-built JETEXEC N162NH accident near Arthur, Kentucky

Probable cause

The pilot’s decision to attempt the cross-country flight in thunderstorm conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to obtain a weather briefing.

NTSB analysis

The helicopter pilot was flying a cross-country flight in thunderstorms. The former owner of the helicopter, its new owner, stated they were worried about the weather and tried to talk the pilot into waiting 1 day until the weather improved, however, the pilot did not want to wait and subsequently departed for his home airport.

Postaccident examination revealed no anomalies with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation. There was no record of the pilot obtaining a weather briefing and rising terrain led up to the area of the accident. The observations surrounding the time of the accident from the closest official weather station indicated visual flight rules to instrument flight rules conditions, with reflectivity data indicating that thunderstorms were present along the route and at the accident site at the time of the accident. Accordingly, the flight likely encountered reduced visibility and heavy rain while in thunderstorms as a result of the pilot’s decision to fly in thunderstorm conditions. Had the pilot obtained a weather briefing he likely would have had increased his awareness of the severity of the weather conditions along his route of flight and may have elected to delay the flight further until conditions improved.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA22FA397 for the full record.