Bell 206L 3 N127AE

Summary

On 7 May 2015 at about 19:39 local time, a Bell 206L 3 registered N127AE, operated by Air Evac EMS Inc, was involved in an accident near Chesterfield, Missouri, 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

7 May 2015 at 19:39

Classification

Accident

Location

Chesterfield, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Spirit of St Louis (SUS)

Coordinates

38.6622, -90.6519

Aircraft

Bell 206L 3

Registration

N127AE

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1992

Engines

1

Operator

Air Evac EMS Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chesterfield → Chesterfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA229

Nobody was injured.

The collision of the helicopter's skid shoe with the runway centerline light during landing, which abruptly stopped the helicopter and resulted in damage to the fuselage.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot and flight instructor were conducting recurrent pilot training in the helicopter. They reported that the pilot was performing a practice run-on landing, during which the helicopter touched down about 5 knots and just right of the runway centerline. After skidding about 10 yards, the helicopter struck a recessed runway centerline light and then came to a stop. Examination of the light revealed that it had been struck at the leading edge of a plate that protected the light element. The helicopter had skid shoes attached to the bottom of the skid tubes, and each shoe projected down a short distance, creating a vertical lip on the bottom of the skid. Examination of the helicopter revealed damage to the underside of the fuselage in the area where the left skid was mounted, consistent with excessive rearward force acting on the skid. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the vertical lip on one of the skid shoes contacted the leading edge of the plate on the centerline light, which abruptly stopped the helicopter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.