Pilot Debrief

BELL 206B near Yuma, AZ — 2016-11-11

Final reportWPR17LA019
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Date
2016-11-11
Location
Yuma, AZ, USA
Aircraft
BELL 206B
Registration
N914HH
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

Probable cause

The pilot’s inability to maintain helicopter control after its skid got caught on the landing pad while he was maneuvering the helicopter to land on it, which resulted in a dynamic roll-over.

NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to apply chemicals to adjacent fields. After applying four loads of chemicals, the pilot flew the helicopter back to the landing pad, which was situated on top of a box-truck, to load more chemicals. While attempting to maneuver the helicopter onto the center of the truck's pad, the right skid became caught on an access hole that ground personnel use to refill the load. The pilot was unaware of the problem and attempted to reposition the helicopter by lifting the right skid. The helicopter dynamically rolled over off the back of the truck and collided with terrain. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked skid clearance before attempting to reposition the helicopter.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 1 docket document
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents1

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