19971024044749I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 206B · Houston, TX · October 24, 1997

Date: October 24, 1997 · 20:00 local
Place: Houston, TX
Airport: Clover Field Airport
Phase of flight: Pwr On Vertical Ldng/Rtrcrft
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N61US
Reported as: Bell 206B
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 12,000 total

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.

Narrative: helicopter pilot landed during the hours of darkness in a confined area between two rows of t-hangars to ask directions and hit a "triplex" power line strung across the taxiway between the hangars. Eyewitness saw a spark by the tail rotor when the lights in his own hangar went out. He thought the helicopter was "out of control" and he was "ready to run". Repair costs to the powerline totaled $161.58, and there was superficial damage to the bottom of the left skid tube (scratches and apparent burn marks on the bottom of the left skid tube).

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: HELICOPTER PILOT LANDED DURING THE HOURS OF DARKNESS IN A CONFINED AREA BETWEEN TWO ROWS OF T-HANGARS TO ASK DIRECTIONS AND HIT A "TRIPLEX" POWER LINE STRUNG ACROSS THE TAXIWAY BETWEEN THE HANGARS. EYEWITNESS SAW A SPARK BY THE TAIL ROTOR WHEN THE LIGHTS IN HIS OWN HANGAR WENT OUT. HE THOUGHT THE HELICOPTER WAS "OUT OF CONTROL" AND HE WAS "READY TO RUN". REPAIR COSTS TO THE POWERLINE TOTALED $161.58, AND THERE WAS SUPERFICIAL DAMAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LEFT SKID TUBE (SCRATCHES AND APPARENT BURN MARKS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LEFT SKID TUBE).