20100423032379I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 222U · Laughlin, NV · April 23, 2010

Date: April 23, 2010 · 09:38 local
Place: Laughlin, NV
Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: QMLA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N220LN
Reported as: Bell 222U
Reported engine: Lycoming LTS-101 series
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours: 10,857 total1,082 in this make and model22 in the last 90 days

N220LNRegistration cancelled Oct 6, 2014 · Bell 222US/N 47567 Airframe modelBell 222U Engine modelLycoming LTS-101 seriesTurbo-shaft

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.

PIC safely landed to one of the four helipads located at the multi purpose police/fire department heliport in Laughlin, Nevada. PIC was asked if he could reposition the aircraft to the southwestern most pad. PIC hover taxied the aircraft to the re-assigned pad. Pic's crewmember observer was busy handling a radio call and failed to alert the pilot as to their close proximity of a 15 foot palo verde tree. Subsequently the main rotor blade tips struck the palo verde tree causing blade tip damage.

As the FAA filed it

PIC SAFELY LANDED TO ONE OF THE FOUR HELIPADS LOCATED AT THE MULTI PURPOSE POLICE/FIRE DEPARTMENT HELIPORT IN LAUGHLIN, NEVADA. PIC WAS ASKED IF HE COULD REPOSITION THE AIRCRAFT TO THE SOUTHWESTERN MOST PAD. PIC HOVER TAXIED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RE-ASSIGNED PAD. PIC'S CREWMEMBER OBSERVER WAS BUSY HANDLING A RADIO CALL AND FAILED TO ALERT THE PILOT AS TO THEIR CLOSE PROXIMITY OF A 15 FOOT PALO VERDE TREE. SUBSEQUENTLY THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE TIPS STRUCK THE PALO VERDE TREE CAUSING BLADE TIP DAMAGE.