Bell 222 N222LL

Summary

On 13 March 2009 at about 19:25 local time, a Bell 222 registered N222LL was involved in an accident near Milliken, Colorado, United States. 2 people were 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

13 March 2009 at 19:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Milliken, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Ft Collins-Loveland Municipal (FNL)

Coordinates

40.3253, -104.8556

Aircraft

Bell 222

Registration

N222LL

Category

Helicopter

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Executive/Corporate

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Denver → Weld County

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09CA218

Nobody was injured.

The separation of the left engine cowling for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A witness on the ground was watching the helicopter when he saw several pieces fall off and subsequently land in his and a neighbor's yard. The commercial pilot said that he was en route cruising at approximately 1,500 feet above ground level when he felt a "bump on the controls" and heard a "bang" and thought that he had hit a bird. He returned to his departure airport 45 miles away for an otherwise uneventful landing. On postflight inspection, the pilot discovered that the lower portion of the left engine cowling was missing and that the cowling pieces had struck both main rotor blades and both tail rotor blades, but no evidence of bird remains were found. The impact caused substantial damage to the left engine cowling, both tail rotor blades, the tail rotor yoke, and the tail rotor gearbox. The pilot and his passenger were not injured. The pilot said that before departure he had conducted a preflight inspection; however, the Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the helicopter and the separated pieces of the left engine cowling found no evidence of bird remains and no damage to the cowling latches that would have prevented them from operating normally prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.