# Accident 20000319009389A: Bell 212, Snelling, CA, March 19, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 19, 2000, 15:40 local time
- Place: Snelling, CA
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.4864° N, 120.3506° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.4864&lon=-120.3506&mi=10
- Aircraft: N415B, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N415B-2013-04-23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 212 (registry code 1181420, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-212) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: U/A Canada PT6 SER 578HP (registry code 61502, https://openairdocs.org/engine/u-a-canada-pt6-ser-578hp) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 212
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX00FA130](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00FA130) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000319009389A

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A FAR 91 REPOSITIONING FERRY FLIGHT FROM APPLE VALLEY, CA. TO SACRAMENTO, CA. AS THE SECOND AIRCRAFT IN A FLIGHT OF 2 HELICOPTERS. BOTH AIRCRAFT STOPPED AT FRESNO, CA. FOR FUEL, WITH A DEPARTURE TIME OF APPROXIMATELY 1500 PST IN THE VICINITY OF SNELLING, CA. APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES AFTER DEPARTING FRESNO, THE LEAD AIRCRAFT, A BHT-205A1, N58116 ATTEMPTED CONTACT WITH N415B, THE BHT-212 ON COMPANY FM RADIO. WHEN NO RESPONSE WAS RECEIVED, THE LEAD AIRCRAFT, N58116 TURNED TO ATTEMPT VISUAL CONTACT WITH N415B. AT THIS TIME THE CREW, PILOT AND DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE, OF N58116 OBSERVED A COLUMN OF BLACK SMOKE. N58116 PROCEEDED TO LAND ADJACENT TO THE FIRE AND DETERMINED THAT THE BHT-212, N415B HAD CRASHED AND THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED.

## 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 LAX00FA130](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00FA130), Mar 19, 2000: Bell 212 (N415B), Snelling, CA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the in-flight separation of the main rotor mast while in cruise flight following a mast bumping event. The reason for the mast bumping event was not determined.

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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