Bell 206 N173MS
12 April 2019 · Big Pine, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 12 April 2019 at about 15:38 local time, a Bell 206 registered N173MS, operated by Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, was involved in an accident near Big Pine, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 15:38
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Big Pine, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 24.7272, -81.3900
- Aircraft
- Bell 206
- Registration
- N173MS
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 2000
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Florida Keys Mosquito Control District
- Operating rule
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Marathon → Marathon
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- GAA19CA209
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control while it was being reloaded with the rotors turning in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in a rotor strike with ground equipment.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that, after the fourth aerial application flight of the day, he landed and positioned the helicopter near the autoloader boom truck. He reduced engine power to flight idle, and the ground crew began the loading process. He verified that the collective position was full down and the cyclic friction was on, and he then exited the helicopter to stretch while maintaining one hand on the cyclic. The pilot reported that, immediately after, while standing next to the helicopter, he heard two "loud bangs." He immediately boarded the helicopter, the ground crew secured the truck's boom, and the pilot shut down the engine. Examination revealed that a main rotor blade had struck the truck's boom arm and that the main rotor blades sustained substantial damage. The director of aerial operations reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 May 2019 | Bell 206 | New York, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 2019 | Bell 206 | Campbell River, Canada | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 May 2019 | Bell 206 | La Vega, Dominican Republic | Aircraft Guaranty Corp Trustee | Fatal | 2 |
| 16 Aug 2019 | Bell 206 | Blair, Nebraska, United States | Omaha Police Department | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 May 2019 | Bell 206 | Pittsfield, Illinois, United States | Hlw Aviation Llc | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Jan 2019 | Bell 206 | Yuma, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
All 1,732 records for this type
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Aug 2019 | Piper PA28 | Miami, Florida, United States | Osorio Aviation Corp | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 2019 | Beechcraft 35 | Fort Myers, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Nov 2019 | Bushby BUSHBY MUSTANG M II | Milton, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Nov 2019 | Beechcraft E35 | Okeechobee, Florida, United States | Spaceport Aviation | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 2019 | Van's RV 6 | Lakeland, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 2019 | Cessna 152 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | American Flight Training LLC | No injuries | - |