Bell 206 N8227J

Summary

On 23 January 2019 at about 19:43 local time, a Bell 206 registered N8227J, operated by Erickson Helicopters Inc, was involved in an accident near Ashland, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 January 2019 at 19:43

Classification

Accident

Location

Ashland, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Rogue Valley Medical Center (OR99)

Coordinates

42.0667, -122.5964

Aircraft

Bell 206

Registration

N8227J

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1989

Engines

1

Operator

Erickson Helicopters Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Medford → Medford

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA071

1 person died.

The pilot's decision to continue visual flight into deteriorating weather, which resulted in an encounter with instrument meteorological conditions and spatial disorientation leading to a loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The purpose of the flight was for the pilot to accrue flight-time to fulfill annual flight-time insurance requirements. Radar data indicate that, after departure, the pilot flew the helicopter generally to the south of the departure airport, where the helicopter made various low-level maneuvers and then began to follow a highway northward. The helicopter made several turns during the final two minutes of recorded radar data before the last recorded data point, which was near to the accident site. Examination of the wreckage found no evidence of any engine or airframe anomalies that may have contributed to the accident. At the time of the accident, weather forecasts and advisories for the accident area predicted areas of instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and mountain obscuration and various cameras in the area captured images of low ceilings, fog, and obscuration. There was no record the pilot obtained a preflight weather briefing on the day of the accident. Had he obtained such a briefing, he likely would have been aware of the possibility of encountering below minimum weather conditions for helicopter operations. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot encountering IMC, subsequently becoming spatially disoriented, and losing control of the helicopter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.