# Accident 20020404007759A: Bell 206B, Leadville, CO, April 4, 2002

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 4, 2002, 21:00 local time
- Place: Leadville, CO
- Airport: Lake County Airport
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.2133° N, 106.1900° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.2133&lon=-106.1900&mi=10
- Aircraft: N997GM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N997GM-2005-04-22) (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
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN02LA036](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN02LA036) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020404007759A

## Narrative

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

(-23) WHILE FLYING POWER LINE PATROL AT AN ALTITUDE OF 11,000 TO ABOUT 12,000 FEET ASL (400 FT. AGL) ENCOUNTERED A DOWN DRAFT WHICH EXCEEDED THE PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY OF THE HELICOPTER. SUBSEQUENTLY THE AIRCRAFT CAME IN HARD CONTACT WITH THE SNOW COVERED GROUND.

## 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 DEN02LA036](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN02LA036), Apr 4, 2002: Bell 206B-III (N997GM), Leadville, CO, destroyed. Probable cause: the pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather, which resulted in a collision with terrain. A contributing factor was the downdraft.

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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