ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 23443
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| Date: | Wednesday 23 October 1996 |
| Time: | 17:30 UTC |
| Type: |  Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II |
| Owner/operator: | Aero Arctic |
| Registration: | C-GZAA |
| MSN: | 45537 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1980 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Snare River, 110 nm n.w. Yellowknife, N.W.T., Northwest Territories -
 Canada
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | TSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
The helicopter, was chartered by Environment Canada, Water Survey Branch, to conduct hydrometric measurements at sites in the vicinity of the Snare River, 110 miles north of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The pilot and two technologists departed Yellowknife at 0925 mountain daylight saving time (MDT) and arrived at the first site one hour later.
High water levels had flooded the landing site, so an alternate drop-off site was found on a small ice-covered bay nearby. The pilot manoeuvred the helicopter close to shore and remained in a hover, with the skids resting lightly on the ice, while the technologists got out and checked the ice surface. They signalled to the pilot that the ice was okay. The pilot bumped the helicopter up and down twice to further test the ice strength. Both technologists walked to the left rear cabin door to unload equipment, when suddenly, without warning, the helicopter broke through the ice. Both technologists slid into the four-foot-deep water.
The pilot applied power and lifted the helicopter out of the water; however, the tail rotor had separated, and he had no tail rotor control. The helicopter rotated clockwise, rolled right and sank. The pilot was submerged, and evacuated the helicopter with assistance from one of the technologists. The second technologist was fatally injured when struck on the head by a portion of a main rotor blade after, or as, the blade fractured. The helicopter was substantially damaged.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1996W0413
http://web.archive.org/web/20060430174723/http://www.tsb.gc.ca:80/en/reports/air/1996/a96w0204/a96w0204.asp
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
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