Bell 407 N555BH
9 November 2007 · Morristown, Tennessee, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 9 November 2007 at about 22:10 local time, a Bell 407 registered N555BH was involved in an accident near Morristown, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and one died. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Morristown, Tennessee, United States
- Nearest airport
- Moore-Murrell Airport (MOR)
- Coordinates
- 36.1792, -83.3753
- Aircraft
- Bell 407
- Registration
- N555BH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Morristown → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC08LA028
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from the idling main rotor blade. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to comply with the manufacturer's procedure for securing the helicopter.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
After arriving at the destination airport, the pilot taxied the helicopter to the fuel pumps. The pilot then realized that the fuel pumps were for aviation gasoline and not for jet fuel, so he advised the passengers that he would assist them in unloading, and then reposition the helicopter to the other fuel pump. After carrying the passengers' bags and using the restroom at the fixed base operator, the pilot returned to the helicopter. While walking toward the unoccupied helicopter, the pilot was struck by the idling main rotor. The helicopter's rotorcraft flight manual did not describe a procedure for the pilot to exit the helicopter while the engine and rotor continued to operate, but did state that during shutdown the pilot should, "Remain on the flight controls until the rotor has come to a complete stop." Additionally, post-accident examination of the helicopter revealed that the cyclic friction lock was not tightened, which contradicted with the flight manual's shutdown checklist. The substance found during the post-mortem toxicological testing of the pilot would not normally be expected to cause impairment of psychomotor or cognitive functions.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 407 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 2007 | Bell 407 | St Cloud, Minnesota, United States | Air Methods, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 16 Aug 2007 | Bell 407 | Gulf of Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Dec 2007 | Bell 407 | Hig Island A595, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Feb 2007 | Bell 407 | Warialda, Australia | Hunter Region Helicotper Rescue Service Ltd | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jan 2008 | Bell 407 | DeLand, Florida, United States | Volusia County Sheriff's Department | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jun 2006 | Bell 407 | Bangalore, India | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Sep 2007 | Kolb MK II | Sweetwater, Tennessee, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 22 Sep 2007 | Robinson R44 II | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Fly-N-Dollar Helicopter Service LLC | No injuries | - |
| 5 Nov 2007 | Cessna 172 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Merlin G. Grigsby | No injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 2007 | Christen PITTS S-2B | Springfield, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jun 2007 | Beechcraft A36 | Gallatin, Tennessee, United States | Alvin D. Hale | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Sep 2007 | FOKKER VI | Morristown, Tennessee, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |