ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 352337
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| Date: | Wednesday 17 November 1999 |
| Time: | 14:50 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 206L-1 |
| Owner/operator: | Omniflight Helicopters Inc. |
| Registration: | N519EH |
| MSN: | 45429 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1980 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 10437 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C30P |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Neihart, MT -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Ambulance |
| Departure airport: | |
| Great Falls, MT (95U) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that, due to trees directly in front of him for the departure from a remote site located near ski lift towers, he elected to turn the nose of the helicopter 45 to 50 degrees to the left, hover over to an open area, and depart downslope building airspeed and altitude. After the helicopter moved to the left about 20 to 30 feet, the pilot felt the tail of the helicopter rotate abruptly to the left. The pilot applied left pedal which slowed, but did not stop the rotation. The pilot applied cyclic control to return to the landing zone. During the maneuver, the helicopter drifted over to one of the ski lift towers, striking the tail rotor on the tower. The rotation increased, and the pilot closed the throttle and utilized collective to cushion the landing which was hard. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter at the time of the accident. Shortly after the accident, as the pilot was waiting for company personnel to arrive, he noted that at 10 to 15 minute intervals, the wind gusts would become stronger for a short period of time, then die down. The pilot reported that the wind was from 180 degrees at five knots, gusting to 15 knots.
Probable Cause: Clearance from an object was not maintained. Gusting wind conditions was a factor.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB SEA00LA020
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 1 February 2017 | N519EH | Private | 0 | Carson City Airport, NV | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Mar-2024 11:00 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
| 07-Mar-2024 11:05 | ASN | Updated [Nature, Departure airport, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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