Bell 206 N8052G
18 August 2018 · Battle Mountain, Nevada, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 August 2018 at about 20:45 local time, a Bell 206 registered N8052G, operated by El Aero Services Llc, was involved in an accident near Battle Mountain, Nevada, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Battle Mountain, Nevada, United States
- Coordinates
- 40.7858, -116.8433
- Aircraft
- Bell 206
- Registration
- N8052G
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1989
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- El Aero Services Llc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Observation
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Battle Mountain → Battle Mountain
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- GAA18CA512
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain the proper altitude and airspeed while flying in a canyon in gusting wind conditions.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The helicopter pilot reported that, while climbing out of a canyon at 30 knots indicated airspeed, about 50 ft above ground level, he felt a "hard vibration" in the cyclic and collective controls. He then saw that the airspeed gauge was reading 0 knots and felt the helicopter being pushed down. The torque indicator rose to 120% without any cyclic or collective control input. He applied right cyclic, lowered the collective, applied right pedal to counter the torque, and turned the helicopter downslope into the wind. He applied forward cyclic to better match the downslope of the terrain and raised the collective, but the skids impacted the ground, followed by the main rotor blades. The helicopter rotated 180ยบ to the right before coming to rest downhill on its right side. Shortly after, a postimpact fire ensued, which destroyed the helicopter. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the winds were gusting to 30 knots in the canyon and "changing direction every minute or so."
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Sep 2018 | Bell 206 | Yarraden, Australia | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Jul 2018 | Bell 206 | New Castle, Indiana, United States | Blackstar LLC | No injuries | - |
| 11 Apr 2018 | Bell 206 | Vereda Plateado, Colombia | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jun 2018 | Bell 206 | Sanders, Kentucky, United States | DUE North Aviation LLC | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Apr 2018 | Bell 206L-4 | Vereda Plateado, Colombia | - | Fatal | - |
| 20 Jul 2018 | Bell 206 | Todd Mission, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 May 2018 | Beechcraft A36 | Tonopah, Nevada, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Feb 2018 | Beechcraft 95 | North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Sheble Joseph F II | No injuries | - |
| 28 May 2018 | Cessna T182T | Yerington, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Feb 2018 | Oliver Lawrence R KITFOX IV 1200 | Carson City, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Feb 2018 | Baker Victor R KITFOX | Carson City, Nevada, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Apr 2018 | North Wing Uum SPORT X2-N | Pahrump, Nevada, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |