Bell 206L N206LT

Summary

On 16 December 1997 at about 21:15 local time, a Bell 206L registered N206LT, operated by Briles Helicopter, was involved in an accident near Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 December 1997 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

43.4291, -111.8892

Aircraft

Bell 206L

Registration

N206LT

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Briles Helicopter

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Salt Lake City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA98LA024

Nobody was injured.

loss of engine power for undetermined reason(s). A factor relating to the accident included a dirt berm/ridge in the field where the pilot executed the forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

About ten minutes after departing on a repositioning flight, the aircraft's engine experienced a total power loss. The pilot elected to autorotate to an open farm field, where the helicopter touched down on frozen muddy terrain. As the helicopter slid forward, it impacted a ridge of frozen dirt, resulting in the collapse of the skids. When the skids collapsed, the main rotor impacted the tail boom, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. An inspection of the aircraft revealed no anomalies in any of its systems, and no contamination or water accumulation was found in its fuel. The reason for the loss of power was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.