Bell 206L-1 N10864

Summary

On 4 August 2000 at about 01:55 local time, a Bell 206L-1 registered N10864, operated by U. S. Bureau of Land Managem't, was involved in an accident near Montello, Nevada, United States. 3 people were on board and one died, 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

4 August 2000 at 01:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Montello, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

41.2203, -114.2291

Aircraft

Bell 206L-1

Registration

N10864

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

U. S. Bureau of Land Managem't

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Wells

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

LAX00GA286

1 person died.

The loss of control in hovering flight and impact with terrain for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.