Bell 206B N59506
6 September 2003 · Long Beach, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 6 September 2003 at about 19:40 local time, a Bell 206B registered N59506 was involved in an accident near Long Beach, California, United States. 4 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.
The record
- Date
- at 19:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Long Beach, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.7500, -118.1500
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B
- Registration
- N59506
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Corona → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX03CA279
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
the pilot's inadequate remedial action in response to a loss of tail rotor effectiveness.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot lost directional control of the helicopter while maneuvering and the helicopter impacted water and sank. The pilot was manuevering over a boat race and was flying over the start line about 400 feet agl, on a magnetic heading between 235 to 240. He felt the helicopter drifting north and east. A turn was initiated; however, simultaneously, the helicopter "shuddered and snapped into a rapid right yaw." Left antitorque pedal was applied but the helicopter continued to turn 360 degrees repeatedly while losing altitude. Just prior to impact, the pilot pulled up on the collective and pushed the cyclic into a forward right position intending to assist the main rotor blades in stopping. The Rotorcraft Flying Handbook states that a loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE) is the occurrence of an uncommanded yaw rate that does not subside on its own accord, which can result in the loss of helicopter control. The recovery technique for LTE is full left pedal while simultaneously moving cyclic control forward to increase airspeed. If altitude permits, reduce power.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jan 2003 | Bell 206L-1 | B.s. 53, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Jan 2003 | Bell 206L-1 | Oak Grove, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 May 2003 | Bell 206-L4 | Aurora, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 May 2003 | Bell 206B | Hurst, Texas, United States | Bell Helicopter Textron | No injuries | - |
| 26 Nov 2003 | Bell 206B | Cranston, Rhode Island, United States | Horsham Valley Airways | Minor injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 2003 | Bell 206L-3 | W. Cameron 509, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jan 2003 | Cessna 414 | Palm Springs, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Nov 2003 | Omf OMF-100-160 | Van Nuys, California, United States | Alliance International | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Jan 2003 | Cessna 152 | Salinas, California, United States | Squadron 2 | No injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 2003 | Beechcraft A36TC | Visalia, California, United States | John Rodgers | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Sep 2003 | Cessna 150F | Reedley, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 2003 | McClanahan STITS PLAYMATE SA-11 | Fontana, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |