Bell 206B N568TD

Summary

On 1 August 2007 at about 22:35 local time, a Bell 206B registered N568TD, operated by Rotors of the Rockies, was involved in an accident near Broomfield, Colorado, United States. 4 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 August 2007 at 22:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Broomfield, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Rocky Mountain Metropolitan (BJC)

Coordinates

39.9089, -105.1172

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N568TD

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Rotors of the Rockies

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Broomfield → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN07LA132

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter, resulting in an inadvertent dynamic rollover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, this was his sixth sightseeing flight of the day. He had just landed and three passengers disembarked. Three other passengers boarded the helicopter. As the pilot brought the throttle to full rpm and increased torque, the helicopter turned left about 15 degrees. Approximately 3 inches of opposite pedal was used to bring the helicopter back to its original heading. The pilot continued to increase torque and as the skids started to come off the ground, the nose pitched up rapidly and the helicopter rolled to the right. The left skid was about 3 inches off the ground during the yaw. The right skid never left the ground. Full forward and left cyclic had no effect. The pilot then lowered collective and tried to roll off the throttle. The helicopter rolled right until the main rotor blades contacted the ground. A piece of main rotor blade struck a nearby hangar. The pilot reported no control anomalies and a subsequent examination revealed no discrepancies. FAA's "Rotorcraft Flying Handbook" (FAA-H-8083-21) defines "dynamic rollover" as "the tendency of a helicopter to continue rolling when the critical angle is exceeded, if one gear is on the ground, and the helicopter is pivoting around that point."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.