Bell 205 N508DD
3 April 1998 · Wewahitchka, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 3 April 1998 at about 15:00 local time, a Bell 205 registered N508DD was involved in an accident near Wewahitchka, Florida, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Wewahitchka, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 30.1103, -85.1894
- Aircraft
- Bell 205
- Registration
- N508DD
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA98LA120
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of control as a result of erratic flight control movement due to a surge in hydraulic pressure for undetermined reasons.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was about to start agricultural operations, and had turned on the fertilizer bucket, when he reported that the hydraulic gauges started to 'surge.' He said the helicopter, '...then took a violent turn to the left...the helicopter jerked for a third time and came back level.' He released the fertilizer bucket, and elected to make a forced landing. He stated, '...the control was going left to right, the collective was not reacting properly, so I spooled off the throttle and landed in the trees.' Examination of the helicopter's hydraulic system after the accident revealed that impact damage had destroyed the servos and the hydraulic fluid reservoir. No discrepancies were found with the hydraulic system.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 205 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Mar 1998 | Bell 205A-1 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Los Angeles City Fire Dept. | Fatal | 4 |
| 3 Jan 1999 | Bell 205A-1 | Van Nuys, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Sep 1997 | Bell 205A-1 | Sequim, Washington, United States | National Park Service | Fatal | 3 |
| 21 Mar 1996 | Bell 205A-1 | Grove Hill, Alabama, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 2001 | Bell 205 | Troy, Montana, United States | U.S. Forest Service | No injuries | - |
| 31 Jul 2001 | Bell 205A-1 | Jackson, Wyoming, United States | U.S Forest Service | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Aug 1998 | Cessna 172F | Spring Hill, Florida, United States | Barrett A. Bailey | No injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 1998 | Cessna 172G | Leesburg, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 May 1998 | Gulfstream American 690C | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 May 1998 | Mohr SKYBOLT | Lakeland, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 May 1998 | Bell 47G | Bunnell, Florida, United States | Wing and Rotor International | No injuries | - |
| 27 May 1998 | Beechcraft 95 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | RAY T. Hanselman | Minor injuries | - |