Bell 206-L1 N321CA

Summary

On 2 October 2000 at about 14:00 local time, a Bell 206-L1 registered N321CA was involved in an accident near Jasper, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 October 2000 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Jasper, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.7697, -94.4200

Aircraft

Bell 206-L1

Registration

N321CA

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW01LA004

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's inadvertent VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in his failure to maintain control of the helicopter. Factors were the fog and the pilot's lack of instrument flight experience.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he waited for the fog to lift, departed, and sprayed a field. The pilot then landed the helicopter to refuel prior to spraying another field located approximately 17 miles away. The pilot departed and was flying to the other field when he encountered IMC at a low altitude. The pilot initiated a turn to the left to exit IMC and attempted to cage his attitude indicator. During this time, the helicopter impacted a tree with its spray boom and the pilot then ascended into the fog. The pilot reported that the helicopter was difficult to control and he was having problems seeing the ground. The pilot reported to the ground crew that he was losing control of the helicopter and subsequently it impacted the trees. Witnesses, located approximately 50 yards from the accident site, stated that it was 'very foggy' at the time of the accident. The pilot had accumulated 10 hours of simulated instrument flying and no actual instrument flying experience. At the time of the accident, a weather observation facility located near the accident site reported the sky as overcast at 100 feet agl, with 1.25 statute miles visibility.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.