AIRBUS HELICOPTERS MBB-BK 117 C-2 crash near Abingdon, Virginia, United States

The pilot’s misalignment of the helicopter skids while landing on a dolly at night, which resulted in the skids becoming entangled with the dolly and a loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s fatigue as a result of the time the accident occurred, his total time awake, the multiple flight segments flown, and the operator’s pilot scheduling practice. Also contributing to the accident was the center gap design of the landing dolly.