20050905022689A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Bell 206B · Long Beach, CA · September 5, 2005

Date: September 5, 2005 · 13:30 local
Place: Long Beach, CA
Airport: Long Beach - Daugherty Field
Phase of flight: Power On Descent (Rotorcraft)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N667JM
NTSB investigation: NTSBLAX05LA289
Reported as: Bell 206B
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,192 total316 in this make and model280 in the last 90 days

N667JMRegistration cancelled May 31, 2006 · Bell 206BS/N 3444 · Built 1981 Airframe modelBell 206B Engine modelAllison 250-C20 seriesTurbo-prop

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 picked up a banner and headed west bound from Long Beach airport. The banner did not unfold properly and the pilot executed a turn and attempted to return to the airport. As he came over the infield, the helicopter was in a nose high attitude and the tow rope became tangled in the tail-rotor assembly. The tail-rotor departed the aircraft and the pilot attempted an autorotation. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the pilot sustained serious injuries. The reason the banner did not unfold properly could not be determined.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT PICKED UP A BANNER AND HEADED WEST BOUND FROM LONG BEACH AIRPORT. THE BANNER DID NOT UNFOLD PROPERLY AND THE PILOT EXECUTED A TURN AND ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT. AS HE CAME OVER THE INFIELD, THE HELICOPTER WAS IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE AND THE TOW ROPE BECAME TANGLED IN THE TAIL-ROTOR ASSEMBLY. THE TAIL-ROTOR DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED AN AUTOROTATION. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE PILOT SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE REASON THE BANNER DID NOT UNFOLD PROPERLY COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB LAX05LA289Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportLong Beach, CAthe pilot's decision not to release the banner when it became entangled on itself, which resulted in the banner tow rope becoming ensnarled with the tail rotor system.Sep 5, 2005 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N667JM · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20000423019639ITo Running(Helicopter/Vtol Ac) · Las Vegas, NV(-23)Pilot failed to remove an engine exhaust plug during his pre-flight due to a distraction from refuelers. During take-off, the engine plug came off, striking a tail rotor balde, causing a minor dent to the blade. Flight was discontinued, aircraft shutdown…Apr 23, 2000 · Minor damage