Bell 206B N515TV

Summary

On 18 June 2022 at about 12:14 local time, a Bell 206B registered N515TV, operated by Dirt Pour LLC, was involved in an accident near Pelion, South Carolina, 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

18 June 2022 at 12:14

Classification

Accident

Location

Pelion, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Lexington County (6J0)

Coordinates

33.7946, -81.2459

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N515TV

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Dirt Pour LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA337

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper landing flare during a practice autorotation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said that while practicing an autorotation, the helicopter did not slide forward on the landing as he had expected, and instead came to a quick stop. The pilot rated passenger said the helicopter did not slide forward like a typical run-on landing, but “bucked” forward as it came to a quick stop just after it touched down. The pilot subsequently felt a vibration in the anti-torque pedals and shut the helicopter down. Postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed that the tail rotor drive shaft was bent and the cowling around the area of the bend had ruptured. Given that the helicopter was operating normally prior to the landing, it is likely that the forces imparted by (or were the result of) the pilot’s control inputs during the landing resulted in the damage to the tail rotor drive shaft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.