Bell 212 N181W

Summary

On 24 August 2004 at about 19:30 local time, a Bell 212 registered N181W was involved in an accident near Umpire, Arkansas, 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

24 August 2004 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Umpire, Arkansas, United States

Nearest airport

J Lynn Helms Sevier County Air (DEQ)

Coordinates

34.2306, -94.0597

Aircraft

Bell 212

Registration

N181W

Category

Helicopter

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wickes → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW04LA220

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's encounter with settling with power resulting in a loss of control. A contributing factor was the high density altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 3,807-hour helciopter pilot had just departed a private heliport on a hot day approximately 70 pounds under the certified gross weight. The pilot stated that the take-off was normal and the helicopter climbed slowly. He then increased the climb rate with a slight rearward cyclic movement. The helicopter responded by initially climbing then it immediately began to descend. During the descent, the pilot attempted to dump the chemical load, but reported that the dump doors failed to operate until his fourth try. Shortly thereafter, the main rotor blades struck trees and the helicopter descended to the ground and came to rest in an upright position. Examination of the helicopter and the dump valves revealed no mechanical deficiencies. Interpolation of the published Hover Ceiling in Ground Effect performance chart revealed that the helicopter was within the performance envelope. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Rotorcraft Flying Handbook, pages 11-5 to 11-7, Vortex Ring State (Settling with Power), "Vortex ring state describes an areodynamic condition where a helicopter may be in a vertical descent with up to maximum power applied, and little, or no cyclic authority. The term 'settling with power' comes from the fact that the helicopter keeps settling even though full engine power is applied." The investigator-in-charge (IIC) calculated the density altitude at 3,155 feet.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.