Bell 206 N57PH
25 October 2009 · Eupora, Mississippi, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 25 October 2009 at about 22:33 local time, a Bell 206 registered N57PH, operated by Provine Helicopter Service, Inc., was involved in an accident near Eupora, Mississippi, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:33
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Eupora, Mississippi, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.6311, -89.4672
- Aircraft
- Bell 206
- Registration
- N57PH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Provine Helicopter Service, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Eupora → Eupora
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA10LA032
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
A loss of engine power due to fuel contamination of the helicopter’s fuel supply.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During an aerial application flight, the helicopter's engine lost power while flying about 50 feet above the ground. The pilot stated that the helicopter dropped straight down, and that the rotor stopped turning during the descent. The helicopter was substantially damaged during the impact sequence. A postaccident examination of the helicopter's fuel system revealed a brown contaminate, of a density greater than jet fuel. The contaminate was present in several airframe and engine fuel filters and on the engine fuel nozzle. Examination of the dual use truck that was used to service the helicopter with fuel and herbicide revealed that the fuel filter between the Jet-A fuel tank and the fuel delivery hose was also contaminated. A common trough that ran along the top of the fuel truck provided an area where any over flow of water used to fill the truck's herbicide tank could be introduced into the truck's Jet-A fuel tank through gaps in the fuel tank's cap seal.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Dec 2009 | Bell 206 | Dorrigo, Australia, Australia | Commercial Helicopters Pty Ltd | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Jun 2009 | Bell 206B | Justin, Texas, United States | Textron Financial Corp | No injuries | - |
| 24 Aug 2009 | Bell 206 | Gumboro Township, Delaware, United States | Helicopter Applicators Inc | No injuries | - |
| 26 Aug 2009 | Bell 206L-3 | White Plains, New York, United States | Itai Shoshani | No injuries | - |
| 4 Mar 2009 | Bell 206B | St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles | Bell 206 Inc | No injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 2009 | Bell 206-L4 | Moundridge, Kansas, United States | Hillcrest Aircraft Co | Fatal | 1 |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Apr 2009 | Cessna 172E | Como, Mississippi, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2009 | Air Tractor AT-602 | Magee, Mississippi, United States | Thrash Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 6 Mar 2009 | Cessna 172P | Cleveland, Mississippi, United States | Delta State University | No injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 2009 | Robinson R44 | Jackson, Mississippi, United States | Webb Group | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Oct 2009 | Argence Enas A CHRISTEN EAGLE | Hernando, Mississippi, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 Jan 2009 | Air Tractor AT-602 | Philadelphia, Mississippi, United States | Quinn Aviation Inc | Fatal | 1 |