Bell 206-L4 N3310

Summary

On 21 September 2000 at about 17:00 local time, a Bell 206-L4 registered N3310, operated by US Forest Service, was involved in an accident near Atlanta, Idaho, 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.

Date

21 September 2000 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Atlanta, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

43.7990, -115.1496

Aircraft

Bell 206-L4

Registration

N3310

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

US Forest Service

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Graham → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA00TA182

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from an object. Trees and inadequate ground communications were a factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he had performed an aerial survey of the site for an external load drop, and determined that there was sufficient room to belly hook the load in lieu of a long line. As the helicopter descended to the drop zone, the main rotor blades struck 1-2 inch in diameter pine trees. The pilot was unaware of the collision, and after dropping the load, began the vertical climb to clear the trees and then to transition to forward flight. At approximately 40 knots, the pilot felt a vibration and elected to fly the 3.5 miles back to the cargo loading site. After landing, the main rotor blades were inspected and evidence of the collision to both blades were noted. The ground crew member at the drop zone, and who was in contact with the pilot, reported that she was 'awestruck' when the collision occurred, but allowed the drop to continue and did not notify the pilot of the collision at the time.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.