20030723022229I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 206L1 · Whiteriver, AZ · July 23, 2003

Date: July 23, 2003 · 12:00 local
Place: Whiteriver, AZ
Phase of flight: Hovering
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: XW9A
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N2758C
Reported as: Bell 206L1
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 6,526 total2,000 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days

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) Pilot decided to reposition the helicopter on the helipad. The touch down started out normally, then started to tilt aft. The pilot responded with forward cyclic because he thought he was still hovering. The helicopter was still light on the skids causing it to slide backwards off the pad. The pilot applied more forward cyclic causing the main rotor to contact the upper wire strike. Minor damage to aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT DECIDED TO REPOSITION THE HELICOPTER ON THE HELIPAD. THE TOUCH DOWN STARTED OUT NORMALLY, THEN STARTED TO TILT AFT. THE PILOT RESPONDED WITH FORWARD CYCLIC BECAUSE HE THOUGHT HE WAS STILL HOVERING. THE HELICOPTER WAS STILL LIGHT ON THE SKIDS CAUSING IT TO SLIDE BACKWARDS OFF THE PAD. THE PILOT APPLIED MORE FORWARD CYCLIC CAUSING THE MAIN ROTOR TO CONTACT THE UPPER WIRE STRIKE. MINOR DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT.