| Crash location | 32.933889°N, 116.996944°W |
| Nearest city | Poway, CA
32.962823°N, 117.035865°W 3.0 miles away |
| Tail number | N118MB |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 25 Feb 2012 |
| Aircraft type | Eurocopter As 350 B3 |
| Additional details: | None |
The pilot stated that he was approaching a landing zone on a flat pinnacle with a tailwind. The helicopter was in a slow, stable, shallow approach when it encountered an updraft within 50 feet of the landing area. When the helicopter flew out of the updraft, it abruptly descended to the ground. The helicopter contacted the ground in a flat orientation, and the impact buckled the tail boom and sheared the left landing gear skid off.
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions during landing, which resulted in a hard landing.