McDonnell Douglas Heli 369FF N972BW
6 May 2021 · Palm Gardens, Nevada, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 6 May 2021 at about 20:30 local time, a McDonnell Douglas Heli 369FF registered N972BW, operated by Summit Helicopter Inc., was involved in an accident near Palm Gardens, Nevada, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 20:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Palm Gardens, Nevada, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.1969, -114.8565
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas Heli 369FF
- Registration
- N972BW
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1994
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Summit Helicopter Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
- Purpose of flight
- External Load
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR21LA185
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain helicopter control during an encounter with a dust devil shortly after takeoff.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that, shortly after takeoff, the helicopter encountered a dust devil from the right side, which caused the helicopter to yaw right and descend. Despite the pilot’s best attempt to control the helicopter, it struck terrain. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other McDonnell Douglas Heli 369 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jun 2018 | McDonnell Douglas Heli 369 | Yabucoa, United States | Northwest Helicopters LLC | No injuries | - |
| 29 May 2018 | McDonnell Douglas Heli 369FF | Wikieup, Arizona, United States | Rogers Helicopters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 14 Mar 2017 | McDonnell Douglas Heli 369FF | Chalmers, Indiana, United States | Rogers Helicopters, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 6 Oct 2013 | McDonnell Douglas Heli 369 | Paducah, Texas, United States | Rogers Aviation | Fatal | 1 |
| 22 Aug 2013 | McDonnell Douglas Heli 369FF | Reese, Michigan, United States | Rogers Helicopters Inc | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 2012 | McDonnell Douglas Heli 369FF | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 May 2021 | Cessna 182P | Minden, Nevada, United States | Media Stew LLC | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 2021 | Grumman American Avn AA-5B | Wells, Nevada, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 2021 | Beechcraft 95-A55 | North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | ACE of Spades Aviation LLC | No injuries | - |
| 24 May 2021 | Dassault MIRAGE F-1 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 13 Dec 2021 | Airbus A320-251N | Paradise, Nevada, United States | Frontier Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 16 Jan 2021 | Creek Michel W BEARHAWK | Elko, Nevada, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |