Bell 206B N667JM

Summary

On 5 September 2005 at about 20:33 local time, a Bell 206B registered N667JM was involved in an accident near Long Beach, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 September 2005 at 20:33

Classification

Accident

Location

Long Beach, California, United States

Nearest airport

Daugherty Field (LGB)

Coordinates

33.8178, -118.1517

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N667JM

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load

Purpose of flight

Banner Tow

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Long Beach → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05LA289

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot's decision not to release the banner when it became entangled on itself, which resulted in the banner tow rope becoming ensnarled with the tail rotor system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter descended to ground impact after the tow rope of a banner became entangled in the tail rotor system, resulting in the in-flight separation of the tail rotor and tail rotor gearbox. During liftoff for a banner tow flight, the top rear corner of the banner became tangled with the top front corner. The pilot continued with the climb believing the banner would untangle itself. When the banner did not untangle itself, the pilot attempted to maneuver the helicopter and the banner back to the drop point on the airport, but during a slow descent, the banner rotated to a horizontal position, assumed an airfoil shape, and floated higher than the helicopter's position. The pilot said he could no longer see the banner in his rear view mirror, only the tow rope extending up and aft, and he was concerned that the rope might get into the tail rotor. The pilot chose not to release the banner as he descended slowly toward the drop point. The tow rope became entangled in the tail rotor system and the tail rotor gearbox separated from the tail boom. The helicopter then began to rotate. The pilot reduced the throttle to idle in an attempt to reduce the torque and rotations about the vertical axis. He then lowered the nose to gain airspeed. The helicopter impacted terrain in a near vertical attitude. The helicopter was equipped with an electrical and manual release for the banner tow hook.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.