Bell 206B N9254Y

Summary

On 5 August 2003 at about 20:00 local time, a Bell 206B registered N9254Y was involved in an accident near Merced, California, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 August 2003 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Merced, California, United States

Coordinates

37.3258, -120.5258

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N9254Y

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Modesto → Merced

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX03LA253

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's excessive movement of the helicopter's controls during an aborted landing, which resulted in a loss of control (dynamic rollover) and an in-flight collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported he was landing on a concrete pad at a construction site. The helicopter was not positioned completely on the concrete landing pad, and the aft section of the skids were hanging off the pad. While lowering the collective, the helicopter rocked back and the tail rotor skid touched the ground. The pilot abruptly attempted to pull the helicopter back into a hover, and the helicopter moved forward and started to roll to the right. The pilot was unable to stop the rolling movement, and the helicopter struck the ground, coming to rest on its right side.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.