Bell 206L 1 N66RR

Summary

On 30 April 2005 at about 22:45 local time, a Bell 206L 1 registered N66RR, operated by Rock Alan Riggs, was involved in an accident near Cherokee, North Carolina, United States. One person was 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

30 April 2005 at 22:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Cherokee, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Cherokee Heliport (N/A)

Coordinates

35.4333, -83.3167

Aircraft

Bell 206L 1

Registration

N66RR

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Rock Alan Riggs

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cherokee → Cherokee

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ATL05CA077

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper use of the helicopter flight controls during a hover that resulted in a dynamic rollover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was repositioning the helicopter to the refueling area behind the helipad, to take on more fuel before flying his next sightseeing operation. He checked that all gauges were in normal operating ranges and that no warning lights were on. The pilot spooled up the helicopter to 100-percent and again, checked to make sure all gauges were in normal operating ranges. The pilot slowly began to raise the collective. The pilot stated that the front end of the helicopter started to raise up and the helicopter began to go backwards before fully off the ground. He continued raising the collective until he noticed that the right rear skid was buried into the gravel. The pilot pushed the collective down immediately and the helicopter rolled to the right onto its side and then came to rest inverted. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter prior to the accident. Examination of the accident site revealed a flat, gravel helipad. Examination of the wreckage revealed the helicopter inverted and the main rotor severed off. The roof of the cabin had crush damage and was detached from the rest of the cabin. Both main rotor blades were bent, the tip of one rotor blade was broken off and the tail rotor drive shaft was damaged. A passing automobile also sustained damage from flying helicopter debris.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.