# Accident 20040624015099A: Bell 206B, Mesa, AZ, June 24, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 24, 2004, 21:10 local time
- Place: Mesa, AZ
- Airport: Falcon Field Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Hovering
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.4608° N, 111.7283° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.4608&lon=-111.7283&mi=10
- Aircraft: N97AZ, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N97AZ-2011-04-27) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206B (registry code 1181511, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX04LA249](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04LA249) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040624015099A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON JUNE 24, 2004, ABOUT 2110 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A BELL 206B, N97AZ, ROLLED OVER AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND WHILE HOVERING ONTO A TRAILER AT MESA, ARIZONA. ARIZONA HELICOPTER ADVENTURES LLC WAS OPERATING THE HELICOPTER UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED, AND THE HELICOPTER WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE LOCAL PERSONAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT FALCON FIELD AIRPORT, MESA, ABOUT 2015. ACCORDING TO PRELIMINARY INFORMATION, THE PILOT HAD RECENTLY OBTAINED THE TRAILER FROM A BELL 47 OPERATOR, AND STARTED PRACTICING LANDING ON IT ABOUT 1900. HE LANDED NEXT TO THE TRAILER FOR FUEL TO CHANGE THE CENTER OF GRAVITY AND LANDING ATTITUDE. THERE WAS A DELAY GETTING FUEL. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, IT WAS DARK. THE PILOT HAD LANDED ON THE TRAILER, BUT WAS APPARENTLY LIFTING OFF AGAIN WHEN THE HELICOPTER'S LEFT REAR SKID GROUND HANDLING LUG HOOKED A "D" RING ON THE TRAILER. THE HELICOPTER ROLLED TO THE LEFT. THE RIGHT DOOR HAD BEEN REMOVED TO FACILITATE LANDING ON THE TRAILER.

## 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 LAX04LA249](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04LA249), Jun 25, 2004: Bell 206B (N97AZ), Mesa, AZ, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to adequately clear the left skid of obstacles resulting in a dynamic rollover of the helicopter and collision with terrain. A factor in the accident was the dark nighttime…

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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