Bell 206L-3 N30YB

Summary

On 26 March 2002 at about 19:30 local time, a Bell 206L-3 registered N30YB was involved in an accident near Oakley, Utah, United States. 5 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

26 March 2002 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Oakley, Utah, United States

Coordinates

40.8100, -111.1106

Aircraft

Bell 206L-3

Registration

N30YB

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bountiful → Oakley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW02LA102

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power for an undetermined reason. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While operating in mountainous terrain at 10,000-foot elevation, the pilot landed the helicopter in an open area in the bottom of a canyon, where the passengers boarded the helicopter. Subsequently, with the helicopter at hover, the pilot noted that the torque gage was indicating 85-89 percent, the turbine outlet gas temperature was in the green, and everything else was in the green and functionally normally. The pilot turned the helicopter to the left to align with the takeoff area. During the turn, the torque gauge indicated 92 percent and stabilized. Subsequently, the torque gauge dropped to about 50 percent, and the helicopter started a rapid and uncontrolled turn to the left and descended. When the pilot applied collective, the low rpm audio came on and the helicopter started a rapid and uncontrolled turn to the right. The helicopter impacted on a hill, rolled to the left, and came to rest in the snow. The reason for the reported loss of engine power was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.