What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On Wednesday may 9th at approximately 1305Z, a Bell 206B iii, N1069Z, crashed in a wheat field near Flora, Indiana. The helicopter was owned and operated by townsend aviation. The helicopter was being operated by brian townsend conducting agricultural spraying operations. During the interview, the pilot stated that he ran out of chemical spray in the middle of his spraying operation and returned to the truck to resupply with chemical product. The pilot then returned to the area of the field where he left off. Approaching the area from northeast to southwest (45 degree angle), the pilot stated that he made a climbing left-turn in order to line-up for the next spray operation to the east. This climbing left turn was slow and gradual. He further stated that this was not a typical agricultural spraying operations type of turn. During the climbing left-turn the aircraft climbed to an altitude of approximately 100 feet and slowed to approximately 45 KTS. The pilot stated that as he made the turn to line up for the swath he felt the aircraft begin to descend and settle into the flight path. He also noted mushy controls. The aircraft was flying back into an area of disturbed air. The pilot stated that this disturbed air was from the rotor downwash from the helicopters arrival flight path. The downwash or disturbed air was carried by the northwesterly wind into the east flight path (quartering tailwind). The helicopter was flying back into this downwash causing a "settling with power" effect. The pilot stated that he reacted by increasing collective in order to compensate for the settling. The increased collective aggravated the descent and the pilot stated that the aircraft impacted the ground in a level attitude on an east heading with a groundspeed of approximately 30-40 mph. The impact caused the main rotor blade to bend downward severing the tail boom. The aircraft came to rest on its right side facing west. The pilot was wearing a 4-point safety harness and a flight helmet with the eye protection visor down. The pilot stated that he received his lafayette, IN METAR from a commercial weather source, weathertap. The winds were approximately 300 degrees at 10 KTS.
As the FAA filed it
ON WEDNESDAY MAY 9TH AT APPROXIMATELY 1305Z, A BELL 206B III, N1069Z, CRASHED IN A WHEAT FIELD NEAR FLORA, INDIANA. THE HELICOPTER WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY TOWNSEND AVIATION. THE HELICOPTER WAS BEING OPERATED BY BRIAN TOWNSEND CONDUCTING AGRICULTURAL SPRAYING OPERATIONS.DURING THE INTERVIEW, THE PILOT STATED THAT HE RAN OUT OF CHEMICAL SPRAY IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS SPRAYING OPERATION AND RETURNED TO THE TRUCK TO RESUPPLY WITH CHEMICAL PRODUCT. THE PILOT THEN RETURNED TO THE AREA OF THE FIELD WHERE HE LEFT OFF. APPROACHING THE AREA FROM NORTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST (45 DEGREE ANGLE), THE PILOT STATED THAT HE MADE A CLIMBING LEFT-TURN IN ORDER TO LINE-UP FOR THE NEXT SPRAY OPERATION TO THE EAST. THIS CLIMBING LEFT TURN WAS SLOW AND GRADUAL. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THIS WAS NOT A TYPICAL AGRICULTURAL SPRAYING OPERATIONS TYPE OF TURN. DURING THE CLIMBING LEFT-TURN THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED TO AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET AND SLOWED TO APPROXIMATELY 45 KTS. THE PILOT STATED THAT AS HE MADE THE TURN TO LINE UP FOR THE SWATH HE FELT THE AIRCRAFT BEGIN TO DESCEND AND SETTLE INTO THE FLIGHT PATH. HE ALSO NOTED MUSHY CONTROLS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING BACK INTO AN AREA OF DISTURBED AIR. THE PILOT STATED THAT THIS DISTURBED AIR WAS FROM THE ROTOR DOWNWASH FROM THE HELICOPTERS ARRIVAL FLIGHT PATH. THE DOWNWASH OR DISTURBED AIR WAS CARRIED BY THE NORTHWESTERLY WIND INTO THE EAST FLIGHT PATH (QUARTERING TAILWIND). THE HELICOPTER WAS FLYING BACK INTO THIS DOWNWASH CAUSING A "SETTLING WITH POWER" EFFECT. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE REACTED BY INCREASING COLLECTIVE IN ORDER TO COMPENSATE FOR THE SETTLING. THE INCREASED COLLECTIVE AGGRAVATED THE DESCENT AND THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE ON AN EAST HEADING WITH A GROUNDSPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 30-40 MPH. THE IMPACT CAUSED THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE TO BEND DOWNWARD SEVERING THE TAIL BOOM. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON ITS RIGHT SIDE FACING WEST. THE PILOT WAS WEARING A 4-POINT SAFETY HARNESS AND A FLIGHT HELMET WITH THE EYE PROTECTION VISOR DOWN.THE PILOT STATED THAT HE RECEIVED HIS LAFAYETTE, IN METAR FROM A COMMERCIAL WEATHER SOURCE, WEATHERTAP. THE WINDS WERE APPROXIMATELY 300 DEGREES AT 10 KTS.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.