The 6,400-hour commercial pilot told rescuers it was “all my fault” that the Bell UH-1H Iroquois struck the ground on a dark-night flight shortly after takeoff from Raton, New Mexico, U.S., killing four of his five passengers and seriously injuring the fifth. The pilot died soon afterward, en route to a hospital.
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT), Helicopter Safety
CFIT at Night
The NTSB cites a pilot’s failure to maintain altitude in a Huey’s CFIT crash in New Mexico.