Bell 206 N911GE

Summary

On 2 May 2017 at about 22:15 local time, a Bell 206 registered N911GE, operated by Marion County Sheriff, was involved in an accident near Orange Springs, Florida, 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

2 May 2017 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Orange Springs, Florida, United States

Coordinates

29.4628, -81.9781

Aircraft

Bell 206

Registration

N911GE

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2001

Engines

1

Operator

Marion County Sheriff

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Fire Fighting

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ocala → Ocala

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17TA170

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance between the helicopter's skid and the firefighting bucket and suspension cable, which resulted in the cable becoming entangled on the landing skid and a subsequent loss of helicopter control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial helicopter pilot had completed 25 to 30 water drops in a fire zone using a firefighting bucket on suspension cables. After refueling, he completed three or four additional drops and then filled and pulled the bucket from the water and immediately felt "a severely out of CG [center of gravity] condition to the right." He assumed that the bucket cables were entangled in the right landing skid, so he released the water from the bucket. The condition persisted, so he rocked the helicopter to attempt to free the cable without success. He then released the cable with the cargo release button and heard the "clunk" sound typically heard when the bucket was released, but then he heard another "clunk." The helicopter then began to spin violently and crashed into the water. Examination of the wreckage revealed 6-inch long cable marks on the right rear landing skid tube and a torsional fracture of the tail rotor short shaft. Based on the pilot's statement, the cable marks likely occurred initially when a cable became entangled on the skid tube, followed by the fracture of the tail rotor shaft due to cable or bucket contact with the tail rotor assembly. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.