Bell 206-B2 N205LT
11 September 2007 · Rosamond, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 11 September 2007 at about 22:00 local time, a Bell 206-B2 registered N205LT, operated by William P. Francis, was involved in an accident near Rosamond, California, 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 22:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Rosamond, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Rosamond Skypark (L00)
- Coordinates
- 34.8708, -118.2092
- Aircraft
- Bell 206-B2
- Registration
- N205LT
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- William P. Francis
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Tehachapi → Rosamond
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA07CA258
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate compensation for gusting variable winds encountered after landing. Factors include gusting, suddenly shifting winds, and a hangar near the spot where the helicopter had landed.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
After hover-taxiing to his normal parking spot in strong gusting variable winds, the pilot landed the helicopter. He then rolled the throttle to flight-idle, frictioned the collective down, started the timing for the required two-minute turbine cool down, and leaned forward to tighten the friction for the cyclic. At that point, the helicopter, which still had considerable energy in its slowing main rotor, was hit by a strong gust of wind. The helicopter became momentarily airborne, and collided with a nearby hangar. According to witnesses, the winds at the airport were gusting between the hangars, resulting in sudden strong gusts coming from varying directions.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Apr 2007 | Bell 206 | Changuinola, Panama | Heliflight of Panama S.A. | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 Jun 2007 | Bell 206B | Cedartown, Georgia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 2007 | Bell 206 | Houma, Louisiana, United States | Evergreen Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 5 Mar 2007 | Bell 206 B3 | Custer, Montana, United States | Dan S. Scott | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jun 2007 | Bell 206L-3 | Simiti, Bolivar, Colombia | Aviheco SA | Fatal | 2 |
| 30 Jul 2007 | Bell 206B | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Arnold Johnson | No injuries | - |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jun 2007 | Piper PA-28-180 | Rosamond, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 2007 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2C | Bridgeport, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 May 2007 | Schweizer SGS2-33A | Los Alamitos, California, United States | Civil Air Patrol - California Wing | No injuries | - |
| 25 May 2007 | Westland WASP HAS MK1 | Ramona, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 2007 | Cessna 152 | Tracy, California, United States | California Airways | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 May 2007 | Skygear SKYGEAR | Chino, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |