Bell 407 N5259N

Summary

On 22 May 2001 at about 21:00 local time, a Bell 407 registered N5259N, operated by Southside Landfill, was involved in an accident near Schoolcraft, Michigan, United States. 3 people were on board. One person on the ground also died. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 May 2001 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Schoolcraft, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

42.1095, -85.6298

Aircraft

Bell 407

Registration

N5259N

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Southside Landfill

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Huntington → Schoolcraft

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI01LA145

Injuries not recorded.

The pilot rated passenger failed to maintain clearance with the rotor blades as he exited the helicopter.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A pilot rated passenger who had been seated in the rear of the helicopter was fatally injured when he was struck by the main rotor blade upon exiting the helicopter. The helicopter was flown to the rear seat passengers residence and was landed on a low trailer, approximately 8 inches high. The pilot who had flow the helicopter to this location had been seated in the front right seat. The left front seat was occupied by another pilot and the pilot rated passenger was in the right rear seat. After landing, the right seat pilot and the passenger in the rear exited the helicopter. The left seat pilot held the controls waiting for the other two occupants to exit so he could fly the helicopter to another location. The left seat pilot reported that the passenger exited the right rear side of the helicopter and as the passenger neared the two-thirty position of the helicopter, he saw him falling forward. He reported the passenger fell to the ground and never moved. He reported he then shut down the engine and applied the rotor brake. The fatally injured passenger was a helicopter pilot. His family reported that he had been flying airplanes since the 1960's and had been a helicopter pilot since 1988.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.