Bell 206B N2163Y
2 October 1997 · New Iberia, Louisiana, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 2 October 1997 at about 19:40 local time, a Bell 206B registered N2163Y, operated by Petroleum Helicopter Inc., was involved in an accident near New Iberia, Louisiana, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- New Iberia, Louisiana, United States
- Nearest airport
- Acadiana Regional (ARA)
- Coordinates
- 30.0000, -91.8101
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B
- Registration
- N2163Y
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Petroleum Helicopter Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW98LA002
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
improper touchdown by the flight instructor. A related factor was: soft sod in the touchdown/landing area.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The flight instructor (CFI) was demonstrating an autorotation with a 180 degree turn to a soft sod area. The CFI reported that the helicopter touched down with only slight forward speed in a slightly nose low attitude. Following touchdown, the skids dug into the soft ground, and the helicopter began pitching forward. The CFI applied 'slight downward collective.' Subsequently, the helicopter nosed over, the main rotor blades contacted the ground, and the helicopter came to rest on its left side. The commercial pilot, who was receiving instruction, reported that the helicopter touched down smoothly in a level attitude 'carrying 5 to 10 knots forward speed.' An FAA inspector recommended that local helicopter operators discontinue using the sod area for running landings and autorotations until the ground is considered hard enough for practice running landings. The CFI stated that at the time of the accident, the wind was variable, but generally aligned with the direction of landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 1997 | Bell 206-B2 | Sutton, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jul 1997 | Bell 206B | New Iberia, Louisiana, United States | American Aviation, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 May 1997 | Bell 206L-1 | Orlando, Florida, United States | Air Orlando Helicopter, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 1997 | Bell 206L-1 | Amelia, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Nov 1997 | Bell 206B | Forest Grove, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jun 1997 | Bell 206B | Intracoastl Cty, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jun 1997 | Air Tractor AT-400A | Church Point, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Mar 1997 | MBB BO-105S | Lena, Louisiana, United States | Petroleum Helicopters, Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 May 1997 | Cessna 172RG | Intracoastal, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 4 Aug 1997 | Beechcraft C24R | Pollock, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 1997 | Mooney M20C | Sarepta, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Jul 1997 | Ayres S2R-T15 | Oakridge, Louisiana, United States | Arkla Flying Service | Fatal | 1 |