Bell 206 N98KR

Summary

On 24 August 2009 at about 21:36 local time, a Bell 206 registered N98KR, operated by Helicopter Applicators Inc, was involved in an accident near Gumboro Township, Delaware, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 August 2009 at 21:36

Classification

Accident

Location

Gumboro Township, Delaware, United States

Coordinates

38.7958, -75.6092

Aircraft

Bell 206

Registration

N98KR

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Helicopter Applicators Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gumboro Township → Gumboro Township

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09CA482

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to secure the flight controls before exiting the running helicopter. Contributing to the accident was the operator’s practice of exiting the helicopter while it was still running.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter pilot stated that he was completing an aerial application flight due to deteriorating weather. After landing on a wet, elevated platform, he exited the running helicopter, which was a common company practice during refueling and reloading operations. Moments later, the helicopter yawed to the right, slid off the platform and landed on the mast, resulting in substantial damage to the rotor assembly, left side fuselage, and tail boom. The pilot later stated that he did not recall securing the flight controls before exiting the helicopter. A Federal Aviation Administration examination of the accident scene revealed that the flight control friction locks were not tight, and that the landing platform was not level. A representative of the helicopter manufacturer stated that there was nothing published by the company that restricted a pilot from exiting a helicopter while it was running. However, there is a note in the pilot’s operating handbook for the engine shutdown procedure that states, “Pilot -- remain at flight controls until rotor has come to a complete stop.” A representative of the National Agricultural Aviation Association stated that although the practice of hot refueling was common in the industry, the practice of exiting a running helicopter was not.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.