# Accident 19971108032629A: Bell 206B, Forest Gorve, OR, November 8, 1997 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: November 8, 1997, 12:20 local time - Place: Forest Gorve, OR - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Low Level Operations - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Operator: LJEL - Location: 45.5505° N, 123.1503° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.5505&lon=-123.1503&mi=10 - Aircraft: N101LF, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N101LF-1998-08-07) (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: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 4,230 total, 1,630 in this make and model, 59 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA98LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA98LA013) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971108032629A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. LONG LINE CABLE SWUNG UP IN FRONT OF 206 DECELERATING TO PICK UP ANOTHER LOAD. 206 BROKE UP STRUCK TREES AND BURNED. (.19) ON NOVEMBER 8, 1997, AT 1220 PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, A BELL 206B, N101LF, REGISTERED TO HILLSBORO HELICOPTERS, INC. OF HILLSBORO, OREGON, WAS OBSERVED TO BREAK UP IN MIDAIR AND DESCEND IN AN UNCONTROLLED MANNER TO A COLLISION WITH THE TERRAIN WHILE PERFORMING A 14 CFR PART 133 ROTORCRAFT EXTERNAL-LOAD FLIGHT NEAR FOREST GROVE, OREGON. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT-IN-COMMAND WAS NOT INJURED, AND THE HELICOPTER WAS DESTROYED IN THE ACCIDENT AND AN ENSUING POST-CRASH FIRE. THE FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED HILLSBORO, ABOUT THREE HOURS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) REPORTED NO RECORD OF A FLIGHT PLAN HAVING BEEN FILED FOR THE FLIGHT. AN FAA INSPECTOR WHO RESPONDED TO THE ACCIDENT SCENT REPORTED THE FOLLOWING FINDINGS TO THE NTSB INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE (IIC). HE STATED THAT THE HELICOPTER WAS ENGAGED IN CHRISTMAS TREE HARVESTING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, USING AN EXTERNAL LINE TO CARRY THE TREES SLUNG UNDERNEATH THE HELICOPTER. THE HELICOPTER WAS DECELERATING TO A HOVER OVER ITS DESIRE D LOAD PICK-UP POINT AT THE TIME, WITH NO LOAD ON THE LINE. HE STATED THAT THE PILOT TOLD HIM THAT DURING THE APPROACH TO HOVER, THERE WAS A "BANG", WITH THE HELICOPTER GOING OUT OF CONTROL IMMEDIATELY AT THAT POINT. THE INSPECTOR REPORTED THAT WITNESSES STATED TO HIM THAT THEY SAW THE LOAD LINE SWING FORWARD DURING THE HELICOPTER'S DECELERATION, THAT THE HELICOPTER'S NOSE CAME DOWN, AND THAT THE HELICOPTER THEN SUDDENLY WENT OUT OF CONTROL, LOSING ITS MAIN ROTOR AND TAIL BOOM, AND CRASHED INTO TREES. THE INSPECTOR REPORTED THAT HE OBSERVED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO ONE MAIN ROTOR BLADE, CABLE MARKS ON THE OTHER MAIN ROTOR BLADE, ONE SEVERED FROM THE HELICOPTER. THE INSPECTOR ALSO REPORTED THAT THE HOOK ON THE LOAD LINE DISPLAYED SEVERE IMPACT DAMAGE SIGNATURES. (.4) THE HELICOPTER WAS APPROACHING A PICK-UP AREA FOR A LOAD OF CHRISTMAS TREES. THE APPROACH WAS OVER A TREE-LINED RIDGE AND DOWN INTO A BASIN. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE DECELERATING, HE HEARD A LOUD BANG. WARNING HORNS AND LIGHTS WENT OFF AS THE HELICOPTER TURNED TO THE LEFT AND ROLLED RIGHT, SUBSEQUENTLY COLLIDING WITH TREES AND TERRAIN. A WITNESS ON THE GROUND STATED THAT AS THE HELICOPTER WAS DESCENDING, THE LON G LINE SWUNG FORWARD AND STRAIGHT UP IN FRONT OF THE CABIN. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES INSTANTLY SEPARATED AND THE HELICOPTER STARTED TO DESCEND. THE WITNESS HEARD A LOUD SCREAMING SOUND, THEN A LOUD EXPLOSION, AND OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER COME APART IN MID-AIR. THE CABIN CONTINUED IN THE SAME DIRECTION THAT IT WAS TRAVELING AND TURNED UP-SIDE DOWN AND COLLIDED WITH TREES AND TERRAIN. THE TAIL SECTION SEPARATED AND COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN NEAR WHERE THE WITNESS WAS STANDING. CABLE MARKS WERE FOUND ON ONE MAIN ROTOR BLADE AND ONE TAIL ROTOR BLADE. THE LOAD LINE ITSELF WAS SEVERED FROM THE HELICOPTER, AND THE LOAD LINE HOOK DISPLAYED SEVERE IMPACT DAMAGE SIGNATURES. ## 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 SEA98LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA98LA013), Nov 8, 1997: Bell 206B (N101LF), Forest Grove, OR, destroyed. Probable cause: Excessive deceleration of the helicopter by the pilot-in-command, resulting in an in-flight main rotor blade strike on the helicopter's external load line and subsequent main rotor separation.… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.