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19960701015689A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Bell 206B · South Carver, MA · July 1, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 1, 1996 · 06:00 local
Place
South Carver, MA
Operating rules
Agricultural (Part 137)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N444JB
NTSB investigation
NTSBNYC96LA135
Reported as
Bell 206B
Fatal injuries
0
N444JBRegistered now · Bell OH-58AS/N 71-20362 · Built 1971Airframe modelBell OH-58AEngine modelAllison 250-C20 seriesTurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On aerial application load became imbalanced. Lost control, made uncontrollabel right turn. Crashed in a pond. (-23) during aerial application of fertilizer, pilot lost directional control and an uncontrollable right turn was entered. Aircraft crashed into a pond 1/4 mile southeast of cranberry bog that was being fertilized. Loss of directional control was caused by either a loss of tail rotor effectiveness or an imbalanced fertilizer load. Helicopter was submerged in water for nearly nine hours and the fertilizer may have dissolved during that time period. Mr. Smith stated that he had reached the left lateral limits of cyclic control travel and it had caused the helicopter to move downwind to the right. Mr. Smith stated that he tried to counteract the uncontrollable drift to the right by adding full left pedal. The helicopter subsequently began an uncontrollabel turn to the right. The helicopter crashed into a pond in an upright attitude causing substantial damage. Pilot was not injured.

As the FAA filed it

ON AERIAL APPLICATION LOAD BECAME IMBALANCED. LOST CONTROL, MADE UNCONTROLLABEL RIGHT TURN. CRASHED IN A POND. (-23) DURING AERIAL APPLICATION OF FERTILIZER, PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND AN UNCONTROLLABLE RIGHT TURN WAS ENTERED. AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO A POND 1/4 MILE SOUTHEAST OF CRANBERRY BOG THAT WAS BEING FERTILIZED. LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS CAUSED BY EITHER A LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR EFFECTIVENESS OR AN IMBALANCED FERTILIZER LOAD. HELICOPTER WAS SUBMERGED IN WATER FOR NEARLY NINE HOURS AND THE FERTILIZER MAY HAVE DISSOLVED DURING THAT TIME PERIOD. MR. SMITH STATED THAT HE HAD REACHED THE LEFT LATERAL LIMITS OF CYCLIC CONTROL TRAVEL AND IT HAD CAUSED THE HELICOPTER TO MOVE DOWNWIND TO THE RIGHT. MR. SMITH STATED THAT HE TRIED TO COUNTERACT THE UNCONTROLLABLE DRIFT TO THE RIGHT BY ADDING FULL LEFT PEDAL. THE HELICOPTER SUBSEQUENTLY BEGAN AN UNCONTROLLABEL TURN TO THE RIGHT. THE HELICOPTER CRASHED INTO A POND IN AN UPRIGHT ATTITUDE CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. PILOT WAS NOT INJURED.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB NYC96LA135Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportSouth Carver, MAThe pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter during an aerial application maneuver. This put the helicopter in a low slow down wind, high power demand turn, where it encountered a loss of tail rotor effectiveness, and the subsequent collision…Jul 1, 1996 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N444JB · 2

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 20020914024429ARochester, MA(-23) Pilot fatal when N444JB, OH-58A piloted by george norman clairmont, engaged in agricultural FAR 133 external load operations crashed while lifting containers of cranberries. A mast bumping situation occurred due to the unloading of the rotor system at…Sep 14, 2002 · Destroyed · 1 fatalIncident 19900526028409IPwr Off Vert Land/Autorotate · East Haven, VTOn external load operation. Entered drop zone. Elected to go around. Rotor blades hit roof of building.May 26, 1990 · Reported as Bell 206B · Minor damage