# Accident 19970726019659A: Bell 206B, Pollock Pines, CA, July 26, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 26, 1997, 10:45 local time
- Place: Pollock Pines, CA
- Airport: Ribcon Camp Helipad
- Phase of flight: Idling Rotors
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: IAVA
- Location: 38.7398° N, 120.5702° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.7398&lon=-120.5702&mi=10
- Aircraft: N123WF, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N123WF) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206B (registry code 1181511, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- Reported engine: ALLSN 250C20B
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 7,000 total, 2,000 in this make and model, 45 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX97LA262](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA262) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970726019659A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

IDLING ROTORS DEPLANING. PHONTOGRAPHER TO BOARD WALKED INTO TAIL ROTOR. GROUND SECURITY MEASURES NOT USED. (.19) PHOTOGRAPHER APPROACHED 206 WITH ROTORS TURNING ON RUNDOWN. WALKED INTO TAIL ROTOR.  (.4) THE 7,000-HOUR CHIEF PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AREA WAS CLEAR WHEN HE APPROACHED THE HELIPAD, WHICH WAS LOCATED ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, HE REDUCED THE THROTTLE TO GROUND IDLE AND TOLD HIS PASSENGERS IT WAS SAFE TO EXIT. THE PILOT DID NOT REPORT THAT ANY GROUND (CROWD CONTROL) PERSONNEL WERE PRESENT TO ASSIST HIS PASSENGERS, AND NO BARRIERS EXISTED AROUND THE HELIPAD AREA. WITHIN LESS THAN ONE MINUTE AFTER THE LANDING, A WAITING PASSENGER APPROACHED THE HELICOPTER FROM THE REAR. THE PROSPECTIVE PASSENGER BECAME DISTRACTED DUE TO THE BLOWING DUST AND WALKED INTO THE ROTATING TAIL ROTOR BLADES. YEARS EARLIER, THE FAA PUBLISHED INFORMATION ALERTING OPERATORS OF THE LACK OF ROTATING ROTOR BLADE CONSPICUITY. ALSO TO ENHANCE SAFETY, THE FAA SUGGESTED THAT GROUND SUPPORT PERSONNEL BE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST PASSENGERS, AND THAT PLACEMENT OF PHYSICAL BARRIERS AROUND OPERATION AREAS BE PLACED TO SEPARATE PROSPECTIVE PASSENGERS FROM HAZARDS. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND THAT THE HELICOPTER O PERATOR HAD GROUND SUPPORT PERSONNEL PRESENT TO ASSIST THE PROSPECTIVE PASSENGER, OR THAT IT HAD PLACED RESTRICTING ACCESS DEVICES AROUND THE HELIPAD AREA.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX97LA262](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA262), Jul 26, 1997: Bell 206B (N123WF), Pollock Pines, CA, no damage. Probable cause: the passenger's failure to recognize and avoid the hazard associated with the rotating tail rotor. The operator/event organizer's lack of ground facilities or support personnel to assist/control…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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