Bell 206L-4 N206DB

Summary

On 6 October 2005 at about 16:30 local time, a Bell 206L-4 registered N206DB was involved in an accident near Denver, Colorado, 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

6 October 2005 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Denver, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

39.7000, -105.0192

Aircraft

Bell 206L-4

Registration

N206DB

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Broomfield → Englewood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN06CA006

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's improper preflight planning and preparation resulting in him taking the helicopter into the air with insufficient fuel to accomplish the flight, and the subsequent fuel exhaustion leading to the hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter was en route to its home base when the pilot noted he would not have enough fuel to make it his destination. He also determined he had gone too far to return to his origination airport. The pilot elected to perform a precautionary landing on a schoolyard baseball field. Approximately 6 feet above the ground, the helicopter's engine lost power. The pilot said he immediately attempted to make a landing. The helicopter impacted the ground in a level attitude, bounced once, and came to a stop. The pilot told local police that he'd ran out of fuel. An examination of the helicopter showed the helicopter had sustained substantial damage to the tail boom. An examination of the helicopter's systems revealed no anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.