Bell 230 N903SH
30 September 2016 · Fargo, North Dakota, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 30 September 2016 at about 03:00 local time, a Bell 230 registered N903SH, operated by Sanford Health, was involved in an accident near Fargo, North Dakota, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 03:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Fargo, North Dakota, United States
- Nearest airport
- Sanford Health (ND48)
- Coordinates
- 46.8847, -96.7856
- Aircraft
- Bell 230
- Registration
- N903SH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1994
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Sanford Health
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fargo → Fargo
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night
- NTSB number
- CEN16CA393
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the ground obstacle during the landing with gusting winds present.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he performed his approach into the wind. On short final he could feel periodic gusts of wind. The pilot executed the standard approach to the helipad and the helicopter encountered another gust that picked the helicopter's nose up as it was moving over the pad. He maneuvered the helicopter to center it over the pad when he heard a sound like "metal on metal as if the tail rotor had hit something a couple times." The pilot felt no initial feedback in the controls, he felt the helicopter yaw to the left, and the helicopter continued to yaw to the left with his full application of right pedal. He lowered the collective and rolled off the throttle to enter a hovering autorotation and attempted to land it as level as possible. The helicopter landed hard. The operator reported substantial ground damage occurred to the tail rotor gearbox and tail rotor blades and a review of images revealed damage to the tailboom. A nearby fence and light were reported to be damaged. The operator's accident report indicated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 230 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Mar 2011 | Bell 230 | Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, United States | Republic Helicopters Inc | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 2009 | Bell 230 | Peoria, Illinois, United States | OSF Aviation LLC | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 2003 | Bell 230 | Wilmington, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Sep 1995 | Bell 230 | Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States | Corporate Jets, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Mar 1995 | Bell 230 | Portland, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 1994 | Bell 230 | Albert Lea, Minnesota, United States | Mayo Medical Center | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Jan 2016 | Cessna 441 | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 2016 | Cessna 150L | Upham, North Dakota, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 2016 | Piper PA 28-140 | Wishek, North Dakota, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 17 Jun 2016 | Schweizer G 164 | Cummings, North Dakota, United States | Sky Tractor LLC | No injuries | - |
| 5 Aug 2016 | Aero Commander S2R | Valley City, North Dakota, United States | Lakeview Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 1 Dec 2016 | Cessna 340 | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |