# Accident 20040218015129A: Bell 206B, Decatur, TX, February 18, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 18, 2004, 20:00 local time
- Place: Decatur, TX
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Hovering
- Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
- Operator: H0LA
- Location: 33.2503° N, 97.5806° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.2503&lon=-97.5806&mi=10
- Aircraft: N16MV, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N16MV-2004-11-05) (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
- Pilot flight hours: 1,760 total, 140 in this make and model, 30 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW04TA075](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW04TA075) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040218015129A

## Narrative

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

(-23) AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATING IN A LARGE FIELD DOING FIRE BUCKET OPERATION/TRAINING WITH A U.S. FOREST SERVICE CREW. PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO PICK UP THE CANVAS WATER BUCKET IN THE UNIMPROVED FIELD. IT APPEARS THAT THE REAR PORTION OF THE RIGHT SKID DUG INTO THE SOFT GROUND AS HE ATTEMPTED TO BRING THE HELICOPTER TO A HOVER, PERHAPS IN AN UNNOTICED DRIFT TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE FELT A FORCE PULLING HIS SKID DOWN AS HE ATTEMPTED TO HOVER. HE RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM TOO LATE AS HE APPLIED FULL LEFT CYCLIC AND LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE AFTER THE HELICOPTER EXCEEDED THE CRITICAL ANGLE OF BANK INTO THE LOW SKID. AT THAT POINT THE SITUATION WAS UNRECOVERABLE, AND THE HELICOPTER ROLLED 90 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT SEVERING ALL CONTROL SURFACES. THIS APPEARS TO BE A CLASSIC CASE OF DYNAMIC ROLLOVER, WHICH IS QUITE COMMON ON SIMILAR SKID EQUIPPED HELICOPTERS.

## 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 FTW04TA075](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW04TA075), Feb 18, 2004: Bell 206B (N16MV), Decatur, TX, destroyed. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter during liftoff after encountering dynamic rollover. A contributing factor was the rough and uneven terrain.

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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