Bell 206B N231RL

Summary

On 30 July 2023 at about 13:18 local time, a Bell 206B registered N231RL, operated by NOR WES Inc, was involved in an accident near Denison, Iowa, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 July 2023 at 13:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Denison, Iowa, United States

Coordinates

42.0344, -95.3103

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N231RL

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

NOR WES Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA342

1 person died.

The pilot’s inflight distraction, which resulted in his failure to see and avoid wires.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported to his wife that while conducting an aerial application flight, he became distracted in the cockpit and failed to see and avoid wires that were spanning the field. The helicopter subsequently impacted the wires and then terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot was hospitalized but succumbed to his injuries 18 days after the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.