Bell 206B N992UC

Summary

On 1 April 1999 at about 18:36 local time, a Bell 206B registered N992UC, operated by Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopt, was involved in an accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 April 1999 at 18:36

Classification

Accident

Location

Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Grand Canyon Nat'l Park (GCN)

Coordinates

36.0308, -112.0198

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N992UC

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopt

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99FA136

1 person died.

The failure of the flight crew to properly preflight the helicopter and to detect and remove accumulated snow from the engine inlets and plenum chamber. Factors in the accident were the clouded plenum chamber inspection window and the failure of preceding flight crew to install the engine inlet covers in accordance with the operator's procedure.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff and transition to forward flight, the helicopter's engine stopped. During the ensuing autorotative landing glide, a main rotor blade struck a tree about 30 feet above ground level and the helicopter fell to the ground. This was the first flight of the day and the helicopter had been stored outside overnight in conditions of cold temperatures and light snowfall without engine air inlet covers installed. Prior to the flight the engine was difficult to start. There were five aborted starts before the engine was successfully started. During the first three start attempts, fuel was introduced, ignition occurred, the engine acceleration hung at 30 percent, and the starts were aborted. After the third start attempt a mechanic noted that the engine inlets were approximately half blocked by snow and cleared the snow from the inlets using a towel. He did not check the plenum chamber aft of the particle separator and forward of the engine inlet for snow. In the wreckage, the plenum chamber inspection window was found to be opaque. After the accident, another company mechanic who had dealt with the same starting difficulty on another helicopter of the same type parked under the same circumstances without inlet covers, reported finding the plenum chamber of that helicopter contained several cups of snow. The engine manufacturer reported that tests of the engine had shown that ingestion of as little as 6 ounces of snow/slush could flame out the engine. The operator's procedure requiring that the last flight crew at the end of the day install the inlet covers on aircraft stored outside had not been followed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.