Bell 206BIII N206TA

Summary

On 21 May 1998 at about 20:18 local time, a Bell 206BIII registered N206TA, operated by Bell Helicopter Textron, was involved in an accident near Hurst, Texas, United States. 2 people were 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.

Date

21 May 1998 at 20:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Hurst, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

BHT2 Training Strip (2F2)

Coordinates

32.8298, -97.1695

Aircraft

Bell 206BIII

Registration

N206TA

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Bell Helicopter Textron

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW98LA235

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's delayed recovery from a simulated autorotative landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During an autorotation, the helicopter landed hard. The flight instructor was demonstrating an autorotation with a 180 degree turn to Lane 4, at the Bell Helicopter Hurst Heliport. At approximately 100 feet AGL, the flight instructor determined a power recovery was necessary, and at about 50 to 70 feet he increased the throttle to full on; however, the engine did not respond. As the autorotation continued, the instructor 'continued to try and get the throttle and engine to respond.' The helicopter touched down on the end of Lane 4, bounced and veered off of the lane 45 degrees to the right. The helicopter then touched down in the grass bouncing two more times before coming to a stop upright about 70 feet from the end of the lane. The instructor reported that as the aircraft bounced and ran through the grass he 'felt [the] engine begin to spool and [he] closed the throttle to idle.' The aircraft's engine was inspected and returned to service.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.