N12328 – Bell UH 1N – 2020-05-10 NTSB Accident Report

On May 10, 2020, a Bell UH 1N (N12328) was involved in an accident near Baghdad, IZ. The accident resulted in 4 minor injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The flight crew's inadequate situational awareness and failure to maintain adequate clearance from a security barrier during a night takeoff.

According to operator, the pilots of the helicopter were departing from the heliport for a routine passenger flight in night visual meteorological conditions. The copilot brought the helicopter to a 4 ft hover, transitioned to the left and had commenced forward flight when the main rotor blades struck a security barrier. The helicopter then impacted the ground and the main rotor blades struck the tailboom. Both pilots reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

This accident is documented in NTSB report ERA20CA191. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N12328.