Pilot Debrief

BELL 206B near Cougar, WA — 2008-10-10

Final reportWPR09LA010
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Date
2008-10-10
Location
Cougar, WA, USA
Aircraft
BELL 206B
Registration
N206CH
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance between his external load and trees while maneuvering. Contributing to the accident were hilly terrain and trees.

NTSB narrative

Soon after the helicopter lifted an external load of tree branches and began to fly an uphill route to the central collection point, the long-line became tangled in the trees below the flightpath. As the pilot attempted to continue up the hill toward a landing site, the helicopter's low-rotor rpm horn sounded, and soon thereafter its nose pitched down, and it impacted the ground near the bottom of a steep ravine. Although the long-line was not attached to the helicopter when it crashed, its proximity to the accident site indicated that it was released shortly before the impact. Neither the on-site or the follow-up inspection of the helicopter revealed any evidence of an anomaly in the airframe, engine, or flight control system.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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