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20010503009309I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Bell 206B · Miami, FL · May 3, 2001

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
May 3, 2001 · 07:30 local
Place
Miami, FL
Phase of flight
Other Ground Ops
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N261BH
Reported as
Bell 206B
Reported engine
Allison 250C20B
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
2,500 total500 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days
N261BHRegistration cancelled Oct 23, 2007 · Bell 206BS/N 2817Airframe modelBell 206B

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.

(-23)This flight was being conducted VT the department of interior (doi). This flight was a sparrow nesting survey flight to track the migration and type of birds found in the everglades national park. The flight operations required the helicopter to land at a predetermined latitude and longitude within the everglade national park, and offload 3 doi employees. The helicopter would then depart the area while the survey was being conducted. The helicopter would then return and pick up the 3 doi employees to move on to another predetermined location. The incident of N261BH a BHT-206, happened during its second landing, located at 25 30.476/80 36.553 in the everglades national park. The helicopter landed on top of coral rock formations found throughout the everglades. The helicopter was equipped with wide tundra pads to allow better footing for the helicopter's skids. From pilot statements and site pictures, it was determined that the coral rock formation broke under the aft left tundra pad. This caused the helicopters tail boom and rotor to tilt backwards and the nose of the helicopter to pitch up and to the left. The pilot put corrective control inputs to level the helicopter . Once the helicopter was sitting level again the pilot noticed a slight vibration and decided to toll off the power. After power reduction, the helicopter began to vibrate and shake severly, so the helicopter was shut down. An inspection of the helicopter showed that the isolation mount for the transmission was contacted by the input drive shaft. This caused the striker plate to contact the tranmission which broke on of the studs on the striker plate. All damaged parts where removed and replaced for the helicopter.

As the FAA filed it

(-23)THIS FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED VT THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR (DOI). THIS FLIGHT WAS A SPARROW NESTING SURVEY FLIGHT TO TRACK THE MIGRATION AND TYPE OF BIRDS FOUND IN THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK. THE FLIGHT OPERATIONS REQUIRED THE HELICOPTER TO LAND AT A PREDETERMINED LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE WITHIN THE EVERGLADE NATIONAL PARK, AND OFFLOAD 3 DOI EMPLOYEES. THE HELICOPTER WOULD THEN DEPART THE AREA WHILE THE SURVEY WAS BEING CONDUCTED. THE HELICOPTER WOULD THEN RETURN AND PICK UP THE 3 DOI EMPLOYEES TO MOVE ON TO ANOTHER PREDETERMINED LOCATION. THE INCIDENT OF N261BH A BHT-206, HAPPENED DURING ITS SECOND LANDING, LOCATED AT 25 30.476/80 36.553 IN THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK. THE HELICOPTER LANDED ON TOP OF CORAL ROCK FORMATIONS FOUND THROUGHOUT THE EVERGLADES. THE HELICOPTER WAS EQUIPPED WITH WIDE TUNDRA PADS TO ALLOW BETTER FOOTING FOR THE HELICOPTER'S SKIDS.FROM PILOT STATEMENTS AND SITE PICTURES, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CORAL ROCK FORMATION BROKE UNDER THE AFT LEFT TUNDRA PAD. THIS CAUSED THE HELICOPTERS TAIL BOOM AND ROTOR TO TILT BACKWARDS AND THE NOSE OF THE HELICOPTER TO PITCH UP AND TO THE LEFT. THE PILOT PUT CORRECTIVE CONTROL INPUTS TO LEVEL THE HELICOPTER . ONCE THE HELICOPTER WAS SITTING LEVEL AGAIN THE PILOT NOTICED A SLIGHT VIBRATION AND DECIDED TO TOLL OFF THE POWER. AFTER POWER REDUCTION, THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO VIBRATE AND SHAKE SEVERLY, SO THE HELICOPTER WAS SHUT DOWN. AN INSPECTION OF THE HELICOPTER SHOWED THAT THE ISOLATION MOUNT FOR THE TRANSMISSION WAS CONTACTED BY THE INPUT DRIVE SHAFT. THIS CAUSED THE STRIKER PLATE TO CONTACT THE TRANMISSION WHICH BROKE ON OF THE STUDS ON THE STRIKER PLATE. ALL DAMAGED PARTS WHERE REMOVED AND REPLACED FOR THE HELICOPTER.

Other reports on N261BH · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 20070911022369ALow Level Operations · Casey Key, FL(-23) On September 11, 2007, at approximately 1000 EDT, a Bell helicopter, model 206B, N261BH, serial #2817, was totally destroyed on impact to the surface of the water at a position of approximately 1 mile west of Casey Key, Florida. The aircraft had…Sep 11, 2007 · Destroyed · 2 fatal