# Accident 20040811018899A: Bell 205A1, Leavenworth, WA, August 11, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 11, 2004, 10:21 local time
- Place: Leavenworth, WA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Hovering
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 47.6500° N, 121.0417° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.6500&lon=-121.0417&mi=10
- Aircraft: N205XP, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N205XP-2005-06-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 205A-1 (registry code 1181414, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-205a-1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Alliedsign T5317A-1 (registry code 02501, https://openairdocs.org/engine/alliedsign-t5317a-1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 205A1
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 23,000 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA04TA158](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA04TA158) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040811018899A

## Narrative

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

(-23) AIRCRAFT WAS CONDUCTING EXTERNAL LOAD OPERATIONS, DELIVERING PALLETS OF EQUIPMENT FOR FOREST SERVICE, UNDER FOREST SERVICE CONTRACT. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT TAIL ROTOR STRUCK TALL SNAG AS PILOT WAS MANEUVERING TO DEPART AREA WITH A LIGHT EXTERNAL LOAD FOR ANOTHER LOCATION, THE TAIL ROTOR AND 90 DEGREE GEARBOX DEPARTED AIRCRAFT, AND THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED.

## 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 SEA04TA158](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA04TA158), Aug 11, 2004: Bell 205A1 (N205XP), Leavenworth, WA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the snag while hovering out of ground effect during an external load operation. Factors were the smoke jumper's misjudgment of the tree heights in the…

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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