# Accident 20060712012929A: Bell 206L3, Wheeler Peak, NM, July 12, 2006

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 12, 2006, 15:15 local time
- Place: Wheeler Peak, NM
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.5650° N, 105.4050° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.5650&lon=-105.4050&mi=10
- Aircraft: N44NM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N44NM-2010-08-16) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206L-3 (registry code 1182108, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206l-3) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250-C30 series (registry code 03015, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c30-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206L3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 5,900 total, 3,200 in this make and model, 40 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN06LA096](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN06LA096) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060712012929A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON JULY 12, 2006, AT 1515 MDST, A BELL 206 L3, N44NM, REGISTERED TO MSI N44NM LLC AND OPERATED BY NEWS CHANNEL 4, IMPACTED TERRAIN WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND IN THE WHEELER PEAK WILDERNESS AREA NEAR WHEELER PEAK, NEW MEXICO, WHILE ON AN ELECTRONIC NEWS GATHERING FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND A VFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AND THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT TAOS, NM ON JULY 12, 2006, AT 1445 MDST.

## 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 DEN06LA096](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN06LA096), Jul 12, 2006: Bell 206L-3 (N44NM), Taos, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: the loss of tail rotor effectiveness during landing, and the pilot's delayed remedial action to counteract a right yaw, which resulted in a loss of directional control and collision with terrain. A…

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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