AS350 B3e Helicopter Crash at Frisco, Colorado, July 3, 2015

https://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/Pages/2017_frisco_BMG.aspx Two video clips depict the takeoff and crash of an Airbus Helicopters AS350 B3e helicopter, which was registered to and operated by Air Methods Corporation as a public relations flight. On July 3, 2015, about 1:39 p.m. mountain daylight time, the helicopter lifted off from the Summit Medical Center Heliport in Frisco, Colorado, and then crashed into a parking lot. The pilot was fatally injured, and the two flight nurses were seriously injured. The helicopter was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The first video clip was recorded by a camera located at a building opposite the helipad, and the second video clip was recorded by a camera mounted on a light pole in the medical center parking lot. The videos were recorded at multiple frame rates, resulting in video motion that is not smooth. The first video clip lasts about 1 minute, and the second video clip lasts about 12 seconds. The video includes a voice-over narration. The first video clip begins with the helicopter on the helipad before takeoff and displays an arrow indicating the windsock at the helipad on the upper right side of the screen. The helicopter lifts off without pausing and immediately begins to rotate to the left; the counterclockwise spin continues as the helicopter exits the field of view at the top of the frame. A text box indicates the time since takeoff (flight time) in seconds at the bottom of the screen. The helicopter is out of sight for about 22 seconds, and then it re-enters the field of view on the upper left side of the screen as it crashes in the medical center parking lot. The helicopter re-entering the frame is highlighted with a white circle. The onset of the postcrash fire can be seen after ground impact. The accident flight lasted about 32 seconds. The video transitions to the view in medical center parking lot. The helicopter appears at the top of the frame rotating to counterclockwise about 1 second before its impact with a parked recreational vehicle and the ground. The video shows fuel flowing from the wreckage on the pavement near the helicopter 3.7 seconds after impact, with the first fire becoming visible 0.2 second later.