Bell 206 N1060C

Summary

On 20 October 2015 at about 19:00 local time, a Bell 206 registered N1060C, operated by Silla Co., was involved in an accident near Christmas Island, Kiribati. 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

20 October 2015 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Christmas Island, Kiribati

Coordinates

-2.0000, -157.0000

Aircraft

Bell 206

Registration

N1060C

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1971

Engines

1

Operator

Silla Co.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Christmas Island → Christmas Island

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA071

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and the maintenance crew's failure to remove the tie down.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter was operating from the deck of a fishing vessel. When the helicopter is not in use, it is secured to the deck by four straps secured to the skids of the helicopter. The pilot of the helicopter reported that he entered the helicopter for takeoff while the mechanic removed the tie downs from the helicopter. The pilot reported that when he tried to takeoff, one of the tie downs was still attached to the helicopter and the helicopter rolled to the right and impacted the helipad. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor, mast, and tail boom. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.