ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 44544
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| Date: | Thursday 10 March 2005 |
| Time: | 13:54 |
| Type: |  Bell 206B-3 JetRanger III |
| Owner/operator: | U.S. Forest Service |
| Registration: | N85BH |
| MSN: | 3792 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1984 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4564 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce 250-C20B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Shelbyville, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | Shelbyville, TX |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
While in a slow flight out of ground effect the helicopter lost control and impacted heavily wooded (100-110 foot trees) terrain while on a United Stated Forest Service (USFS) prescribed fire mission. The prescribed fire was supported by the application of aerial ignition spheres utilizing a cabin mounted plastic sphere dispenser (PSD) machine. According to USFS operating procedures, PSD missions are typically flown at 50-300 feet above the top of the highest vegetation at airspeeds from 20-40 knots. While on the mission a radio distress call,"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, we are going down," was heard on the mission operating frequency. According to USFS personnel, the voice making the distress call appeared to be that of the ignition specialist on board, not the pilot. No further communications were heard from the helicopter. Post accident examinations and testing of the engine, fuel control, and power turbine governor did not reveal conclusive evidence of mechanical failure. Examination of the airframe did not reveal evidence of a control system failure. Fuel calculations determined that the helicopter should have had about 36.9 gallons of usable fuel on board at the time of the accident. Evidence at the accident site showed some rotation signatures of dynamic drive components, although a power level could not be determined. The USFS inspection of the PSD machine did not reveal evidence of a malfunction that could have contributed to the accident. The helicopter was within weight and balance limits for the type of operation. The reason for the loss of control could not be determined.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain altitude and clearance for undetermined reasons.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20050317X00328&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 25-Sep-2016 16:26 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 06-Dec-2017 08:00 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-May-2022 08:38 | Ron Averes | Updated [Operator] |
| 12-Nov-2022 02:52 | Ron Averes | Updated [Operator, Nature] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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