Bell 206B N888DR

Summary

On 2 November 2013 at about 19:15 local time, a Bell 206B registered N888DR, operated by Montana Aero Inc, was involved in an accident near Superior, Montana, 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

2 November 2013 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Superior, Montana, United States

Coordinates

47.3167, -115.4833

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N888DR

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Montana Aero Inc

Operating rule

Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Missoula → Superior

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14CA041

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering during a long-line operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during the last long-line load of the day moving bags of cedar mulch, while on approach to the drop zone, he looked outside at the trees, and did not see any indication of wind; however, he felt a little shudder as the helicopter came out of translational lift. He again looked outside at the trees, and did not see any indication of wind, and continued his approach to the drop zone. Once over the drop zone, as he went to release the bag, he noticed that the remote hook plug had come unplugged. He decided to pick the load back up and move the bag over to the pile of mulch so he could land and manually unhook the bag. When he picked the bag off the ground, the helicopter started to spin to the right, which he was unable to stop. He noticed that the collective was in the full up position so he lowered it to stop the spinning; however, before he could arrest the spinning, the helicopter struck a pile of mulch, and rolled onto its right side, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.