Bell 206 N25PM

Summary

On 17 April 2009 at about 13:10 local time, a Bell 206 registered N25PM, operated by Air Coastal Helicopters, was involved in an accident near West Palm Beach, Florida, 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

17 April 2009 at 13:10

Classification

Accident

Location

West Palm Beach, Florida, United States

Coordinates

26.6764, -80.0906

Aircraft

Bell 206

Registration

N25PM

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Air Coastal Helicopters

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

West Palm Beach → West Palm Beach

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09CA249

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control during taxi, which resulted in a 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, he landed the helicopter in a swampy area adjacent to a pier, then water-taxied close to the pier to allow his passenger to disembark. The pilot was aware of tall PVC pipes near the tail rotor. After the passenger stepped out onto the pier, the pilot maneuvered the helicopter by sliding it to the right, with the intention of then turning into the wind and departing. As the helicopter was sliding, the left float began to lift up, and he corrected with full left cyclic. The helicopter continued to slide to the right; it then rolled onto its right side, resulting in substantial damage to the main rotor blades. The pilot reported that wet mud may have accumulated around the right float and a dynamic rollover occurred. The pilot reported surface winds from the northeast at 15 to 20 knots, with gusts to 25 knots. He reported no mechanical problems with the helicopter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.