Bell 206 N206SA

Summary

On 6 April 2017 at about 17:35 local time, a Bell 206 registered N206SA, operated by Havasu Heli Flights, LLC, was involved in an accident near La Verne, California, United States. 2 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 April 2017 at 17:35

Classification

Accident

Location

La Verne, California, United States

Nearest airport

Brackett Field (POC)

Coordinates

34.0917, -117.7817

Aircraft

Bell 206

Registration

N206SA

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Havasu Heli Flights, LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

La Verne → La Verne

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA218

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s early increased application of the collective during a simulated hovering autorotation, which resulted in a loss of rotor rpm and subsequent main rotor blade strike of the tailboom.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor in the helicopter reported that he was providing hovering autorotation training to a private pilot. The flight instructor reported that he rolled off the throttle to initiate the maneuver, and the private pilot "raised the collective too soon which resulted in the aircraft climbing." The rotor inertia decayed, and a main rotor blade struck the tailboom after the helicopter struck the ground. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor drive shaft. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.