Bell 206B N49573

Summary

On 8 June 2000 at about 19:30 local time, a Bell 206B registered N49573 was involved in an accident near Bridgeport, Washington, United States. One person was on board and 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.

Date

8 June 2000 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Bridgeport, Washington, United States

Coordinates

47.9692, -119.5893

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N49573

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

Orondo → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA00LA101

1 person had minor injuries.

Aircraft control was not maintained. Inadequate remedial action and diverted attention were factors.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that after touching down in a gravel pit that was being used as a refueling staging area, he opened the door to looked to the rear to ensure that the tail rotors were clear of obstructions, and that the landing skids made full ground contact. When he looked back into the cockpit, the nose of the helicopter was coming up and the helicopter was rocking back on the skids. The pilot applied forward cyclic control, when he felt the aft end of the landing skids lift off. The pilot does not recall his corrective actions after this, only that everything was in motion. The helicopter subsequently rolled over and came to rest on its left side. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.