Bell UH-1H N398M
15 June 2021 · Townsend, Montana, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 15 June 2021 at about 23:00 local time, a Bell UH-1H registered N398M, operated by Usda Forest Service Fepp, was involved in an accident near Townsend, Montana, United States. 5 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 23:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Townsend, Montana, United States
- Coordinates
- 46.3245, -111.2910
- Aircraft
- Bell UH-1H
- Registration
- N398M
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1965
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Usda Forest Service Fepp
- Operating rule
- Public Use
- Purpose of flight
- Fire Fighting
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- HELENa → Townsend Helispot
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR21LA236
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain helicopter control after an encounter with settling with power during approach at an altitude that was too low for recovery, which resulted in a hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that, during the approach to the landing area, he made visual contact with the airport manager who cleared him to land on the west end of the pull-off tarmac. The pilot noted evidence of wind from the blowing willows from south-west. He initiated a left downwind approach, and upon turning from base to final at 500 ft above ground level, the helicopter started to settle with power and the pilot experienced a nearly direct tailwind. Due to the approach speed and proximity to the ground, the pilot was unable to fly out, so he leveled the helicopter and committed to landing. The helicopter touched down hard, spun right about 120° and rolled left upside down. The helicopter was destroyed by impact forces and postaccident fire. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell UH-1H accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Feb 2022 | Bell UH-1H | Coalinga, California, United States | American AG Aviation Inc DBA | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Jul 2022 | Bell UH-1H | Chapelle, New Mexico, United States | Bernalillo County Sheriffs Department | Fatal | 4 |
| 24 Apr 2020 | Bell UH 1H | Mesa, Arizona, United States | Southwest Rotors | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Jul 2023 | Bell UH-1H | Woodlawn, Illinois, United States | Kash Helicopter Services LLC | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jun 2019 | Bell UH 1H | Bethel, Alaska, United States | Yukon Helicopters Inc | No injuries | - |
| 23 Oct 2018 | Bell UH-1H | Vermaaklikheid, South Africa | Kishugu Aviation | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 2021 | Cessna 172R | Missoula, Montana, United States | Brian J. Makar | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 Dec 2021 | Monte Clark VANS RV8 | Hamilton, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jan 2021 | Heckel SUPER SPORTSMAN | Spotted Bear, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 May 2021 | Stoddard Hamilton GLASAIR II | Darby, Montana, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Oct 2021 | Cessna 180H | Kalispell, Montana, United States | Rosemarie Surette | No injuries | - |
| 18 Apr 2021 | Piper PA-18-150 | Wilsall, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |