# Accident 20150920017919A: Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1, Thomaston, GA, September 20, 2015 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: September 20, 2015, 19:00 local time - Place: Thomaston, GA - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Descent - Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137) - Operator: 1RTG - Location: 32.7919° N, 84.2397° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.7919&lon=-84.2397&mi=10 - Aircraft: N165BH, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N165BH-2019-01-28) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 (registry code 1182107, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-helicopter-textron-206l-1) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Allison 250-C30P (registry code 03099, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c30p) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON 206L-1 - Reported engine: ALLISON 250-C28 SER - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot - Pilot flight hours: 9,909 total, 40 in this make and model, 300 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA15LA374](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA15LA374) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150920017919A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2015, ABOUT 1900 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, BELL 206L-1, N165BH, WAS DESTROYED DURING COLLISION WITH A GROUND VEHICLE AND TERRAIN FOLLOWING A FLIGHT CONTROL MALFUNCTION AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF CONTROL NEAR THOMASTON, GEORGIA. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE LOCAL AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 137. IN A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW, THE PILOT SAID THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT A JOB SITE. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO ESTABLISH SPRAY PATTERNS, FLOW RATES, AND HAVE THE SPRAY EQUIPMENT CALIBRATED ALONG WITH THE GPS FOR THE CONTRACTED JOB. HE SAID HE DEPARTED FROM THE PLATFORM-EQUIPPED "MIX" TRUCK ABOUT 10 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, AND RETURNED TO LAND ON THE TRUCK TO CLEAN THE WINDSCREEN OF THE HELICOPTER. THE PILOT SAID HE PERFORMED A RIGHT PEDAL TURN TO LAND ON THE TRUCK, AND JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN, A PIN THAT CONNECTED A PUSH-PULL TUBE TO THE LEFT ANTI-TORQUE PEDAL BROKE. THE PILOT MANEUVERED THE HELICOPTER AWAY FROM THE TRUCK IN ORDER TO AVOID STRIKING HIS EMPLOYEES, AND TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO LAND BACK ON THE TRUCK'S PLATFORM, "BUT IT COULDN'T BE DONE." HE THEN REPOSITIONED AWAY FROM THE TRUCK, CLOSED THE THROTTLE, AND LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE TO LAND, BUT THE ROTOR BLADES STRUCK THE SIDE OF THE TRUCK. THE HELICOPTER WAS MANUFACTURED IN 1979, AND ITS MOST RECENT ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2015, AT 7,977.2 TOTAL AIRCRAFT HOURS. THE HELICOPTER WAS EQUIPPED WITH A TAIL ROTOR PEDAL LOCKOUT KIT, WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO DISCONNECT AND LOCKOUT THE TAIL ROTOR PEDALS TO PREVENT PASSENGER INTERFERENCE WHEN SEATED AT THE COPILOT'S STATION. THE KIT WAS EITHER IN "LOCKOUT" MODE TO PREVENT USE OF THE PEDALS, OR "ENGAGED" MODE FOR PEDAL CONTROL. THE MAIN TRANSMISSION AND THE ENGINE WERE TORN FROM THEIR MOUNTS, AND THE AFT FUSELAGE WAS DESTROYED. THE TAIL BOOM WAS SEPARATED JUST AFT OF ITS MOUNT. THE TAIL ROTOR PEDAL EXPANDABLE PIN ASSEMBLY WAS DISCONNECTED FROM THE TAIL ROTOR CONTROL LINK PIN AND LEFT PEDAL ATTACH POINT, WHILE THE PIN ON THE RIGHT PEDAL REMAINED ENGAGED. THE LINK PIN ASSEMBLY OF THE LOCKOUT KIT WAS RETAINED FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION. ## 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 ERA15LA374](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA15LA374), Sep 20, 2015: Bell 206 (N165BH), Thomaston, GA, destroyed. Probable cause: The loss of tail rotor control due to a fractured pin in the tail rotor control system; the reason the pin fractured could not be determined as the fractured pin was lost in shipping. ## Other reports on N165BH (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19990430004279I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990430004279I), Apr 30, 1999: Bell 206L1 (N165BH), Coconut Grove, FL, Minor damage. On April 30, 1999, about 1539 eastern daylight time, a Bell 206L-1 helicopter, N265BH, registered to biscayne helicopter inc., was forced to land in the waters… 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.