# Accident 20011221034479A: Bell 206B, Awendaw, SC, December 21, 2001

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 21, 2001, 17:05 local time
- Place: Awendaw, SC
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
- Operator: OHCL
- Location: 33.3333° N, 79.9833° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.3333&lon=-79.9833&mi=10
- Aircraft: N206HE, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N206HE) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206B (registry code 1181511, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250-C20 series (registry code 03020, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c20-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL02TA021](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL02TA021) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011221034479A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON DECEMBER 21, 2001, AT APPROXIMATELY 1705 HOURS EST, N206HE, A BHT 206B HELICOPTER, WHILE PERFORMING BAMBI BUCKET WATER PICK-UP OPERATIONS, CRASHED DURING THE HOVER LIFT OUT PHASE OFF THE WATER OF A DIP POND AT AWENDAW, SC. THE ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED FROM ONE STAINLESS STEEL CABLE RISER OF THE BAMBI BUCKET GOING OVER THE RIGHT FORWARD SKID CAUSING RIGHT LATERAL INSTABILITY. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE PUT IN LEFT CYCLIC TO OVERCOME THE RIGHT LATERAL INSTABILITY. THE CABLE RISER BROKE THROUGH THE RIGHT SKID RELEASING THE WEIGHT OF THE BAMBI BUCKET CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO RAPIDLY ROLL TO THE RIGHT. THE MAIN ROTOR AND TAIL ROTOR STRUCK THE WATER, AND THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT. (.19) ON DECEMBER 21, 2001, AT 1725 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A BELL 206, N206HE, COLLIDED WITH WATER WHILE MANEUVERING FOR A WATER-DIP AT A PRIVATE POND NEAR AWENDAW, SOUTH CAROLINA. THE CONTRACT PUBLIC USE FLIGHT WAS OPERATED BY THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE, AND THERE WAS NOT A FLIGHT PLAN FILED FOR THIS FLIGHT. VISUAL WEATHER CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE FLIGHT. THE                                                                  PILOT WAS NOT INJURED AND THE HELICOPTER SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE EXTERNAL LOAD HELICOPTER FLIGHT DEPARTED MT. PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA, AT AN UNDETERMINED TIME. ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR, THE PILOT HAD COMPLETED ABOUT 36 WATER-DIPS FROM THE ACCIDENT POND, AND WAS ATTEMPTING ANOTHER WATER-DIP WHEN A CABLE FROM THE SLING ASSEMBLY SLIPPED OVER THE TOE OF THE RIGHT SKID. AS THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO CLIMB OUT FROM THE POND, WITH THE 600-POUND EXTERNAL LOAD, THE HELICOPTER ROLLED RIGHT AND COLLIDED WITH THE WATER.

## 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 ATL02TA021](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL02TA021), Dec 21, 2001: Bell 206 (N206HE), Awendaw, SC, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the bambi bucket suspension assembly during dip operation.

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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