Bell 206B N85RB

Summary

On 2 May 2012 at about 14:20 local time, a Bell 206B registered N85RB, operated by Hawkeye Helicopter, was involved in an accident near Valley Falls, Kansas, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 May 2012 at 14:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Valley Falls, Kansas, United States

Coordinates

39.3399, -95.4606

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N85RB

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Hawkeye Helicopter

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lawrence → Lawrence

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA267

3 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s inadequate compensation for the wind conditions during a hover maneuver, which resulted in a loss of tail rotor effectiveness.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter, with the pilot and two passengers aboard, was hovering about 100 to 150 feet above ground level with a quartering tailwind. As the pilot turned the helicopter to the right, the helicopter started to spin, as reported by the pilot and several witnesses. He applied full left pedal and left forward cyclic, and slightly reduced power to stop the rotation. The pilot added that he sensed the loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE) and continued with the control inputs to fly out of the LTE. The pilot was unable to regain control of the helicopter before it impacted the ground. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the flight conditions at the time, the accident sequence is consistent with the helicopter encountering a LTE event.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.