Bell 206B N96NW

Summary

On 7 April 2006 at about 17:00 local time, a Bell 206B registered N96NW was involved in an accident near Sprague, Washington, 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

7 April 2006 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Sprague, Washington, United States

Coordinates

47.2825, -117.9175

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N96NW

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sprague → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA06TA071

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from mountainous terrain while maneuvering. Mountainous terrain was a factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while conducting deer capture operations, and during a low altitude tail-low flare maneuver, the helicopter's tail rotor blades struck a rock outcropping while maneuvering around a knoll, resulting in the helicopter rotating 270 degrees to the right before contacting the ground and rolling over onto its left side. There was no post crash fire and the pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the helicopter prior to or during the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.