ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 36484
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| Date: | Thursday 3 August 2000 |
| Time: | 18:55 |
| Type: |  Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II |
| Owner/operator: | Bureau of Land Management |
| Registration: | N10864 |
| MSN: | 45434 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1980 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5532 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250C-30-F |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Montello, NV -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | Montello, NV |
| Wells Municipal Airport/ Harriet Field, NV (LWL) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On August 3, 2000, at 1855 hours Pacific daylight time, a Bell 206L-1, N10864, was destroyed when the helicopter abruptly rolled to the right and impacted terrain during hover after takeoff at Montello, Nevada. The helicopter was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 in support of firefighting activities as a public-use aircraft by the United States Bureau of Land Management. One passenger was fatally injured and the other passenger was seriously injured. The commercial certificated pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the positioning flight that was destined for Wells, Nevada.
During takeoff, prior to transitioning to forward flight, the helicopter rolled violently to the right one complete revolution, impacting the ground inverted and then coming to rest upright on its skids. A passenger in the left, front seat, restrained by a lap belt and partially restrained by a shoulder belt that separated under load, was struck on the helmet and left shoulder by a main rotor blade that swept along the left side of the helicopter and was seriously injured. A passenger in the left rear seat, with a lap belt but without a shoulder restraint available, was partially ejected from the helicopter and was struck by the passing main rotor blade and fatally injured. Six witnesses and the pilot reported the helicopter was hovering at between 2 and 5 feet above the ground before the roll ensued. In the 2-hour period before the accident, a thunderstorm passed west of the accident location and there was a windstorm at the accident location estimated to have been 50 - 60 knots. The main and tail rotor blades were secured during the windstorm. At the time of the accident, the wind was steady on the nose of the helicopter at 5 - 10 knots. None of the witnesses reported observing any dust devils or unsteady wind. The ground surface near the initial hover location, where marks may have been present, was obscured by emergency vehicle movement and rain that fell after the accident and prior to the investigator's arrival on-scene. The investigation and laboratory examination of fracture surfaces did not reveal any evidence of preaccident mechanical failures.
Probable Cause: The loss of control in hovering flight and impact with terrain for undetermined reasons.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X21759&key=1
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 13-Apr-2015 19:35 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 14-Apr-2015 17:18 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Damage] |
| 14-Apr-2015 17:20 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator] |
| 13-Feb-2016 14:57 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Operator, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 24-Nov-2017 08:56 | TB | Updated [Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 12-Dec-2017 19:02 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 12-Nov-2022 03:18 | Ron Averes | Updated [Operator] |
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