Bell 206B N914HH

Summary

On 11 November 2016 at about 06:45 local time, a Bell 206B registered N914HH, operated by Morris-Equipment LLC, was involved in an accident near Yuma, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 November 2016 at 06:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Yuma, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

32.6558, -114.6069

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N914HH

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Morris-Equipment LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Yuma → Yuma

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

WPR17LA019

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s inability to maintain helicopter control after its skid got caught on the landing pad while he was maneuvering the helicopter to land on it, which resulted in a dynamic roll-over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to apply chemicals to adjacent fields. After applying four loads of chemicals, the pilot flew the helicopter back to the landing pad, which was situated on top of a box-truck, to load more chemicals. While attempting to maneuver the helicopter onto the center of the truck's pad, the right skid became caught on an access hole that ground personnel use to refill the load. The pilot was unaware of the problem and attempted to reposition the helicopter by lifting the right skid. The helicopter dynamically rolled over off the back of the truck and collided with terrain. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.