What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(.19)On October 5, 1999, about 1200 central daylight time, a Bell 206B, N1285S, registered to third coast aviation, inc., operating as a title 14 CFR part 137 aerial application flight, crashed in the vicinity of Centreville, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter was destroyed and the commercially-rated pilot and a passenger received fatal injuries. The flight departed a clearing about 5 minutes before the accident. According to the ground handling crew, the flight lifted off shortly before noon with the spray tract land owner aboard for the purpose of outlining the boundaries of the spray tract. No one saw the crash, but when the helicopter did not return within about 30 minutes, the ground crew organized a search of the spray tract, finding nothing. A friend of the passenger, waiting for completion of the spray mission, also became alarmed and alerted sheriff's department personnel, who in turn, alerted their helicopter unit. At about 1504, the wreckage was found by aerial search by a tuscaloosa police department helicopter. (.4)ground crew support personnel observed the aerial spray hel icopter lift off at about 1150 with the pilot and tree tract owner aboard for the purpose of defining the tract boundaries. Lift off appeared and sounded normal. Thirty minutes later, absent any contact or sight of the rotorcraft, the ground crew became concerned and started searching. At 1504, the wreckage was found by police helicopter search near the edge of a clearing. Postcrash examination of the crash site revealed the rotorcraft collided with two large trees before impact with the terrain about 60 feet into the clearing. Postcrash examination of the engine, drive-train, transmission, airframe, rotors, and flight controls revealed the engine was not producing power, precrash. Examination of the fuel system revealed the airframe fuel filter's wing-nut drain had been positioned and locked in the 'drain' position, and there was very little fuel aboard, either in the fuel cell or in the engine's fuel lines. (-23) applicator was surveying property with owner for future spray applications. Initial impact damage appears to rotor blades with area trees and at final point of impact appears to have been without power. Main rotor blades, engine, impact area all indicate collision occured while helicopter was not producing adequate power. Allison engine run indicates engine produces power. No visible signs of fuel either in wreckage, in fuel lines or on the ground in the immediate area. Waiting for Bell tech rep report for various issues discovered during inspection after removal of wreckage from accident site.
As the FAA filed it
(.19)ON OCTOBER 5, 1999, ABOUT 1200 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A BELL 206B, N1285S, REGISTERED TO THIRD COAST AVIATION, INC., OPERATING AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 137 AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT, CRASHED IN THE VICINITY OF CENTREVILLE, ALABAMA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE HELICOPTER WAS DESTROYED AND THE COMMERCIALLY-RATED PILOT AND A PASSENGER RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED A CLEARING ABOUT 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE GROUND HANDLING CREW, THE FLIGHT LIFTED OFF SHORTLY BEFORE NOON WITH THE SPRAY TRACT LAND OWNER ABOARD FOR THE PURPOSE OF OUTLINING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE SPRAY TRACT. NO ONE SAW THE CRASH, BUT WHEN THE HELICOPTER DID NOT RETURN WITHIN ABOUT 30 MINUTES, THE GROUND CREW ORGANIZED A SEARCH OF THE SPRAY TRACT, FINDING NOTHING. A FRIEND OF THE PASSENGER, WAITING FOR COMPLETION OF THE SPRAY MISSION, ALSO BECAME ALARMED AND ALERTED SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL, WHO IN TURN, ALERTED THEIR HELICOPTER UNIT. AT ABOUT 1504, THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND BY AERIAL SEARCH BY A TUSCALOOSA POLICE DEPARTMENT HELICOPTER. (.4)GROUND CREW SUPPORT PERSONNEL OBSERVED THE AERIAL SPRAY HEL ICOPTER LIFT OFF AT ABOUT 1150 WITH THE PILOT AND TREE TRACT OWNER ABOARD FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFINING THE TRACT BOUNDARIES. LIFT OFF APPEARED AND SOUNDED NORMAL. THIRTY MINUTES LATER, ABSENT ANY CONTACT OR SIGHT OF THE ROTORCRAFT, THE GROUND CREW BECAME CONCERNED AND STARTED SEARCHING. AT 1504, THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND BY POLICE HELICOPTER SEARCH NEAR THE EDGE OF A CLEARING. POSTCRASH EXAMINATION OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED THE ROTORCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TWO LARGE TREES BEFORE IMPACT WITH THE TERRAIN ABOUT 60 FEET INTO THE CLEARING. POSTCRASH EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE, DRIVE-TRAIN, TRANSMISSION, AIRFRAME, ROTORS, AND FLIGHT CONTROLS REVEALED THE ENGINE WAS NOT PRODUCING POWER, PRECRASH. EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED THE AIRFRAME FUEL FILTER'S WING-NUT DRAIN HAD BEEN POSITIONED AND LOCKED IN THE 'DRAIN' POSITION, AND THERE WAS VERY LITTLE FUEL ABOARD, EITHER IN THE FUEL CELL OR IN THE ENGINE'S FUEL LINES. (-23) APPLICATOR WAS SURVEYING PROPERTY WITH OWNER FOR FUTURE SPRAY APPLICATIONS. INITIAL IMPACT DAMAGE APPEARS TO ROTOR BLADES WITH AREA TREES AND AT FINAL POINT OF IMPACT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN WITHOUT POWER. MAIN ROTOR BLADES, ENGINE, IMPACT AREA ALL INDICATE COLLISION OCCURED WHILE HELICOPTER WAS NOT PRODUCING ADEQUATE POWER. ALLISON ENGINE RUN INDICATES ENGINE PRODUCES POWER. NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF FUEL EITHER IN WRECKAGE, IN FUEL LINES OR ON THE GROUND IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA. WAITING FOR BELL TECH REP REPORT FOR VARIOUS ISSUES DISCOVERED DURING INSPECTION AFTER REMOVAL OF WRECKAGE FROM ACCIDENT SITE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.