Bell 206B N23L

Summary

On 19 July 2013 at about 14:30 local time, a Bell 206B registered N23L, operated by Kash Helicopter Services LLC, was involved in an accident near Tamaroa, Illinois, 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

19 July 2013 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Tamaroa, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

38.0936, -89.1928

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N23L

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Kash Helicopter Services LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tamaroa → Tamaroa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13LA447

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain during an agricultural application maneuver.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot took off on the aerial application flight, flew the helicopter about 1/4 mile to the assigned field, and completed an initial application pass. The pilot recalled that the helicopter was approaching the point at which he intended to reverse course for the next spray run; however, he did not recall the accident sequence. The accident site was located about 1/4 mile south of his planned turning point in an adjacent farm field. The pilot commented that the terrain was "flat" with corn about 8 feet tall. He also noted that the helicopter was "performing great" with no known problems before the accident. A postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact malfunction or failure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.