Bell 206B N866H

Summary

On 30 July 2014 at about 15:30 local time, a Bell 206B registered N866H, operated by Harris County Sheriff's Office, was involved in an accident near Spring, Texas, 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

30 July 2014 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Spring, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

David Wayne Hooks Airport (DWH)

Coordinates

30.0619, -95.5528

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N866H

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

Harris County Sheriff's Office

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Houston → Houston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14LA465

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's distraction by a cell phone call, which led to his failure to perform an exterior check of the helicopter and resulted in a tie-down strap remaining attached to the main rotor during the engine start.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he completed the preflight inspection of the helicopter while it was still in the hangar and that it was then moved onto the ramp. When the pilot arrived to start the helicopter, he was distracted by a cell phone call and did not perform an exterior check of the helicopter. The main rotor tie-down was still attached to the main rotor when the pilot engaged the engine. He was monitoring the cockpit gauges during the engine start when he noticed an individual approaching the helicopter waving his hands. He then heard a "thump," and he initiated an emergency shutdown. He reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The examination of the helicopter revealed that the tie-down strap had broken during the engine start and had gotten caught on the tail rotor output shaft, which resulted in substantial damage to the tail boom, tail rotor blades, and vertical fin.    

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.