Bell UH-1H N23Y
10 September 1996 · Leadville, Colorado, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 10 September 1996 at about 14:50 local time, a Bell UH-1H registered N23Y, operated by Idaho Helicopters, Inc., was involved in an accident near Leadville, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. 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 14:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Leadville, Colorado, United States
- Nearest airport
- Lake County (LXV)
- Coordinates
- 39.2405, -106.2900
- Aircraft
- Bell UH-1H
- Registration
- N23Y
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Idaho Helicopters, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW96LA380
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's improper inflight planning/decision in that he used an inadequate airspeed or an inadequate altitude, or both, for the intentional autorotation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The helicopter crew was conducting high altitude flight tests pursuant to obtaining two Supplemental Type Certificates. From an altitude of 200 feet, and at 8,000 pounds gross weight, the pilot initiated an intentional autorotation at 42 knots with a one second delay before lowering the collective control. The pilot said he was unable to arrest the descent rate as the helicopter approached the runway at 40 knots. The helicopter was destroyed when it impacted the runway. A video camera was used to record the flight tests. A review of the tape disclosed that on at least two previous autorotations, the tail boom stinger struck the ground first. According to an FAA helicopter operations inspector, this was indicative that the pilot was 'outside the low end of the height-velocity curve.' He said that 'either there was insufficient airspeed for the altitude used, or there was insufficient altitude for the airspeed used.'
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell UH-1H accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Aug 1996 | Bell UH-1H | Pendleton, Oregon, United States | Usfs | No injuries | - |
| 4 Apr 1996 | Bell UH-1H | Rainier, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 1996 | Bell UH-1H | Ukiah, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 1997 | Bell UH-1H | Tahoe City, California, United States | Usda / Forest Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 1995 | Bell UH-1H | Montgomery, Alabama, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 1997 | Bell UH-1H | Mariquita, Colombia | Government of Colombia | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Sep 1996 | Piper PA28-151 | Falcon, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Aug 1996 | Cessna TR182 | Telluride, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Sep 1996 | Piper PA-30 | Watkins, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Jan 1996 | Learjet 60 | Aspen, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Sep 1996 | Israel 1125 WESTWIND ASTRA | Aspen, Colorado, United States | Emery Air Charter | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jan 1996 | Piper PA-28-181 | Collbran, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |