Bell 206B N3181J

Summary

On 15 September 2011 at about 14:15 local time, a Bell 206B registered N3181J was involved in an accident near Spicewood, Texas, 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

15 September 2011 at 14:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Spicewood, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.4778, -98.1211

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N3181J

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Spicewood → Spicewood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11LA646

Nobody was injured.

The pilot did not maintain adequate rotor rpm during a low-altitude maneuvering flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While maneuvering the helicopter at an altitude of about 400 feet above ground level, the pilot heard the low rotor aural warning in his headset and observed that the rotor speed gauge was reading about 80 percent and decreasing. He lowered the collective, initiated a left turn, and began an autorotative descent to hilly terrain that contained trees and power lines. During the autorotation, the pilot attempted to avoid the power lines, and the helicopter impacted terrain. Although the pilot reported that he believed the engine lost power, a postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions. Additionally, the helicopter’s engine was run in a test cell for 1 hour 50 minutes with no anomalies detected.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.