Bell 206B-III N997GM

Summary

On 4 April 2002 at about 21:00 local time, a Bell 206B-III registered N997GM, operated by AeroWest Management Services, Inc., was involved in an accident near Leadville, Colorado, United States. 2 people were 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.

Date

4 April 2002 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Leadville, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

39.2133, -106.1900

Aircraft

Bell 206B-III

Registration

N997GM

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

AeroWest Management Services, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Eagle → Leadville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN02LA036

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather, which resulted in a collision with terrain. A contributing factor was the downdraft.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot, who was on a power line patrol in mountainous terrain, flew the helicopter 100 feet to the right of the power line and into a 10 to 18 knot headwind. Airspeed was between 70 and 80 knots, altitude was 400 feet above the ground, and power was between 70 to 80 percent torque. As he turned to continue following the power line, a "strong downdraft pushed the helicopter" into the ground despite his efforts to regain control. The helicopter struck snow-covered terrain and rolled over.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.