Bell 206L-4 N1811
30 December 2005 · Washington, Louisiana, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 30 December 2005 at about 21:45 local time, a Bell 206L-4 registered N1811, operated by Southern Helicopters, Inc., was involved in an accident near Washington, Louisiana, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 21:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Washington, Louisiana, United States
- Coordinates
- 30.6058, -91.9919
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-4
- Registration
- N1811
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Southern Helicopters, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sunshine → Nacogdoches
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DFW06CA048
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The in-flight collision with a bird and the pilot's physical impairment (vision), directional control was not possible.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The 13,355-hour air transport pilot was in cruise flight at approximately 500 feet mean sea level (MSL) at approximately 120 miles per hour. The pilot looked down to scan the helicopter's instruments. As he began to look up, a large buzzard collided with the right windscreen and struck the pilot's face. The impact with the buzzard and the wind coming through the broken windscreen caused the pilot to become temporarily blinded. The pilot reported that he felt the helicopter pitch-up, and as he attempted to regain control of the turbine powered helicopter, blood began to hinder his vision. The pilot elected to execute a running landing into a bean field in his flight path. During the descent, the pilot was forced to use both hands and was unable to clear his vision. The pilot lost sight of the ground and the helicopter impacted on the aft portion of the left landing skid, rolled over and came to rest on its left side in a soybean field. The pilot reported having accumulated approximately 1,900-hours in the same make and model, with about 120 hours in the preceding 90 days.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Apr 2005 | Bell 206L 1 | Cherokee, North Carolina, United States | Rock Alan Riggs | No injuries | - |
| 21 Feb 2005 | Bell 206-L1 | Gentry, Arkansas, United States | Air Evac Lifeteam | Fatal | 1 |
| 18 Feb 2005 | Bell 206L-3 | Cameron, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Sep 2005 | Bell 206B | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | Helitrans Co. Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Dec 2005 | Bell 206B | Coupar Angus, United Kingdom | Total Air Management Services | Fatal | 2 |
| 8 Jun 2005 | Bell 206L-1 | Moulton Cove, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Apr 2005 | Spearman RAPTOR | Bogalusa, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 14 Sep 2005 | Grumman G-164B | Epps, Louisiana, United States | Mike Jones Flying Service | Serious injuries | - |
| 26 Oct 2005 | Cessna 210L | Baker, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jun 2005 | Beechcraft 95-B55 | Jeanerette, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 4 Jun 2005 | Grumman G-164B | Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States | O'Brien Flying Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 5 Nov 2005 | Deussen Alexander Ii ROTORWAY EXEC | Gibson, Louisiana, United States | Frankie Gilbert | Minor injuries | - |