# Accident 20150720011009A: Bell UH-1H, Walla Walla, WA, July 20, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 20, 2015, 18:30 local time
- Place: Walla Walla, WA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
- Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
- Operator: GLGG
- Location: 46.0517° N, 118.0900° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=46.0517&lon=-118.0900&mi=10
- Aircraft: N121PT, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N121PT) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell UH-1H (registry code 1181407, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-uh-1h) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming T-53 series (registry code 41552, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-t-53-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL UH-1H
- Reported engine: LYCOMING T-53
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 25,000 total, 2,200 in this make and model, 196 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR15LA219](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR15LA219) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150720011009A

## Narrative

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

PILOT REPORTED ROTOR RPM DECAY WHILE HOVERING TO PICK UP WATER FROM A STREAM FOR FIREFIGHTING. NO MASTER CAUTION OR OTHER WARNINGS WERE GIVEN. ENGINE RPM WAS NOT OBSERVED. THE BUCKET LINE WAS 165 FEET LONG, AND HE HAD TIME TO MOVE THE AIRCRAFT NEAR A SMALL ROAD AS ROTOR RPM WAS LOST. MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK A TREE AND THE AIRCRAFT ENDED UP BY THE SIDE OF THE TRAIL. PILOT SWITCHED OFF FUEL AND BATTERY. AFTER ASSESSING THINGS, THE PILOT TURNED THE BATTERY ON AGAIN TO ATTEMPT A RADIO CALL FOR HELP. THE ENGINE WARNING CAME ON, AS HE HAD FUEL OFF. HE WAS UNABLE TO CONTACT ANYONE AND NOTED THE MICROPHONE CORD TO HIS HELMET WAS BROKEN. AS THE FOREST FIRE WAS APPROACHING HIS POSITION, HE ELECTED TO WALK OUT ON FOOT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OVERTAKEN BY THE WILDFIRE AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DESTROYED. THE ACTUAL SEVERITY OF DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO THE FIRE IS UNCONFIRMED.

## 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 WPR15LA219](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR15LA219), Jul 21, 2015: Garlick UH1H (N121PT), Walla Walla, WA, destroyed. Probable cause: The helicopter’s reduction in aerodynamic lift while operating in variable wind conditions for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any evidence of…

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.