Bell 206B N53W
7 July 1989 · Longview, Washington, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 7 July 1989 at about 21:00 local time, a Bell 206B registered N53W was involved in an accident near Longview, Washington, 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 21:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Longview, Washington, United States
- Coordinates
- 46.1903, -123.0497
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B
- Registration
- N53W
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Other Work Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Chehalis → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA89LA128
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT INADVERTENTLY TURNING OFF THE ENGINE FUEL SUPPLY INSTEAD OF THE EXTERNAL LOAD FUEL SUPPLY. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO JETTISON THE EXTERNAL LOAD DURING THE AUTOROTATION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THIS HELIOCPTER HAD JUST DEPLETED THE FUEL IN AN EXTERNAL BURNING UNIT AND WAS RETURNING TO A STAGING AREA WHEN THE HELICOPTER ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT STATED HE HAD TURNED OFF THE EXTERNAL UNIT JUST BEFORE THE ENGINE FAILURE. EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER ENGINE AND FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED NO DISCREPANCIES. IT WAS OBSERVED THAT THE OPERATOR HAD LOCATED THE EXTERNAL UNIT CONTROL SWITCH ABOUT THREE INCHES ABOVE THE MAIN FUEL SHUTOFF SWITCH. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE EXTERNAL SWITCH WAS FOUND 'ON' AND THE MAIN FUEL SHUTOFF SWITCH WAS FOUND 'OFF'.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Jan 1989 | Bell 206B III | Park City, Utah, United States | Avman Inc | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jun 1989 | Bell 206L | Abbeville, Louisiana, United States | Taylor Energy Vthe | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 1989 | Bell 206B | Nanuet, New York, United States | Eagle Helicopter | No injuries | - |
| 2 Nov 1989 | Bell 206L-3 | Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States | Air Methods, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 1989 | Bell 206B | Oak Grove, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jul 1989 | Bell 206L-1 | Chiefland, Florida, United States | Kenn Aire Medical Corp. | No injuries | - |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Nov 1989 | Ercoupe (Eng & Research Corp ) 415D | Vancouver, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 1989 | Cessna 140 | Amboy, Washington, United States | Larry Cahoon | No injuries | - |
| 21 Nov 1989 | Cessna 172 | Bremerton, Washington, United States | Flight Tech, Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Nov 1989 | Cessna A-185-F | Seattle, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Nov 1989 | Hiller UH-12E | Raymond, Washington, United States | Glacier Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 11 Dec 1989 | Aero Commander 600 S-2D | Walla Walla, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |