# Incident 20120922019379I: Bell 205A-1, La Grande, OR, September 22, 2012

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 22, 2012, 15:48 local time
- Place: La Grande, OR
- Airport: La Grande/Union County
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
- Operator: GFLA
- Location: 45.2891° N, 118.0061° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at LA GRANDE/UNION COUNTY (LGD), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.2891&lon=-118.0061&mi=10
- Aircraft: N689H, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N689H) (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 205A-1
- Reported engine: ALLIEDSIGN T5317A-1
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 15,000 total, 2,000 in this make and model, 35 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120922019379I

## Narrative

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

THE PILOT WAS DIPPING WATER FROM A REMOTE POND WITH A BUCKET ON A 100' LONG LINE FOR USFS FIRE FIGHTING USE. DURING THE CLIMB WITH A FULL BUCKET THE PILOT HEARD A BANG AND THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED SLIGHTLY TO THE RT. THE POWER THE ENGINE WAS DEVELOPING  HAD BEEN REDUCED AND THE ROTOR RPM WAS SLOWING. THE PILOT ASSUMED HE HAD EXPERIENCED A COMPRESSOR STALL. THE PILOT LOWERED THE NOSE TO GAIN RPM. AS THE RPM WAS COMING BACK THE PILOT TRIED TO INCREASE COLLECTIVE TO CLIMB OUT AGAIN BUT FELT THE SAME NOISE AND ROTATION AGAIN. HAVING NO MORE ALTITUDE THE PILOT SAW AN OPENING IN THE TREES, DROPPED THE BUCKET AND LINE AND MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. DURING THE LANDING FLARE THE AIRCRAFT MAIN ROTOR STRUCK A TREE. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES SUFFERED A CREASE AND ONE BLADE HAD A HOLE THROUGH IT. THERE WAS NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT.

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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