# Accident 20160326007469A: Bell 206B, Hanford, CA, March 26, 2016

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 26, 2016, 08:05 local time
- Place: Hanford, CA
- Airport: Hanford Municipal
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.2714° N, 119.5900° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2714&lon=-119.5900&mi=10
- Aircraft: N52Q, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N52Q-2019-09-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206B (registry code 1181511, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250 SER 400HP (registry code 03013, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-ser-400hp) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- Reported engine: ALLISON 250 SER 400HP
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 1,080 total, 66 in this make and model, 90 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB GAA16CA165](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA16CA165) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160326007469A

## Narrative

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

ON MARCH 26, 2016, N52Q WAS OPERATING UNDER PART 91 PRACTICING AERIAL APPLICATION IN A HELICOPTER WHEN THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE EARTH AT 8:05AM. THE PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THERE WERE NO PASSENGERS ON BOARD. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED.  THE PILOT WAS SLIGHTLY INJURED.

## 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 GAA16CA165](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA16CA165), Mar 26, 2016: Bell 206B (N52Q), Hanford, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's decision to release the collective while flying at 10 feet above ground level, resulting in the rapid helicopter descent and impact with terrain.

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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