What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Went to accident site located at NE 212th lane, fort Mccoy, Florida. Located about 0.5 miles from bay lake. Met local law enforcement and aviation unit commander. Took pictures of the accident scene and destroyed helicopter. The helicopter was inverted in about 12 feet of water at bay lake and destroyed during the recovery from bay lake. The tail boom was detached from the aircraft. The main rotor blades were partially cut off from the blade root. The fuselage at the cockpit was destroyed making this an accident. The engine was attached and internal components rotated to include the main rotor system. The tail rotor drive shaft was sheared directly under the engine. One tail rotor blade was damaged and bent at one location. The engine had oil in the sight glass. The hydraulic system had hydraulic fluid in the sight glass. The transmission and tail rotor gearbox had oil in the sight glass. There was a strong fuel smell at the accident site and the engine had fuel at the fuel line leaking residual fuel. The helicopter was placed on a trailer and transported to an aviation hangar and secured. This is a public use aircraft. Went to hangar and reviewed aircraft records. No discrepancies noted with aircraft records. Aircraft owned and operated by local law enforcement.
Pilot was dispatched to assist with a fire in the area of NE 212th lane and highway 315 near orange springs, marion county, Florida at 1459 hours. After preflight preparations were complete, pilot departed Ocala international airport (kocf) at 1519 hours. Upon arriving near the scene the pilot chose a safe nearby landing zone, landed, inspected and attached the 70 gallon bambi bucket with 14 feet 6 inch cables and began firefighting operations. Pilot advised he had completed 25 and 30 drops, refueled and completed 3 or 4 additional drops when the accident occurred. Pilot stated that as he began to pull the bucket from the water he instantly encountered a severe out of CG condition to the right. Pilot was fully aware that he had likely gotten the cables from the bucket wrapped around the skid. Pilot attempted to release the water from the bucket to rectify the situation to no avail. Pilot then began to rock the aircraft in an attempt to free the bucket unsuccessfully. Pilot then released the bucket using the cargo release button, heard the typical ?clunk? Sound of the bucket releasing then another loud ?clunk?. At this point he began a violent spin and went into the water. The second ?clunk? Was the bambi bucket cable contacting the tail rotor causing the violent spin causing the accident. There was evidence of cable marks on the landing gear right lower skid tube. The pilot was able to free himself from the aircraft, inflate his personnel floatation device and swim to safety. Pilot sustained a broken back vertebra and went for surgery.
As the FAA filed it
WENT TO ACCIDENT SITE LOCATED AT NE 212TH LANE, FORT MCCOY, FLORIDA. LOCATED ABOUT 0.5 MILES FROM BAY LAKE. MET LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND AVIATION UNIT COMMANDER. TOOK PICTURES OF THE ACCIDENT SCENE AND DESTROYED HELICOPTER. THE HELICOPTER WAS INVERTED IN ABOUT 12 FEET OF WATER AT BAY LAKE AND DESTROYED DURING THE RECOVERY FROM BAY LAKE. THE TAIL BOOM WAS DETACHED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES WERE PARTIALLY CUT OFF FROM THE BLADE ROOT. THE FUSELAGE AT THE COCKPIT WAS DESTROYED MAKING THIS AN ACCIDENT. THE ENGINE WAS ATTACHED AND INTERNAL COMPONENTS ROTATED TO INCLUDE THE MAIN ROTOR SYSTEM. THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT WAS SHEARED DIRECTLY UNDER THE ENGINE. ONE TAIL ROTOR BLADE WAS DAMAGED AND BENT AT ONE LOCATION. THE ENGINE HAD OIL IN THE SIGHT GLASS. THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM HAD HYDRAULIC FLUID IN THE SIGHT GLASS. THE TRANSMISSION AND TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX HAD OIL IN THE SIGHT GLASS. THERE WAS A STRONG FUEL SMELL AT THE ACCIDENT SITE AND THE ENGINE HAD FUEL AT THE FUEL LINE LEAKING RESIDUAL FUEL. THE HELICOPTER WAS PLACED ON A TRAILER AND TRANSPORTED TO AN AVIATION HANGAR AND SECURED. THIS IS A PUBLIC USE AIRCRAFT. WENT TO HANGAR AND REVIEWED AIRCRAFT RECORDS. NO DISCREPANCIES NOTED WITH AIRCRAFT RECORDS. AIRCRAFT OWNED AND OPERATED BY LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
PILOT WAS DISPATCHED TO ASSIST WITH A FIRE IN THE AREA OF NE 212TH LANE AND HIGHWAY 315 NEAR ORANGE SPRINGS, MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA AT 1459 HOURS. AFTER PREFLIGHT PREPARATIONS WERE COMPLETE, PILOT DEPARTED OCALA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KOCF) AT 1519 HOURS. UPON ARRIVING NEAR THE SCENE THE PILOT CHOSE A SAFE NEARBY LANDING ZONE, LANDED, INSPECTED AND ATTACHED THE 70 GALLON BAMBI BUCKET WITH 14 FEET 6 INCH CABLES AND BEGAN FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS. PILOT ADVISED HE HAD COMPLETED 25 AND 30 DROPS, REFUELED AND COMPLETED 3 OR 4 ADDITIONAL DROPS WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. PILOT STATED THAT AS HE BEGAN TO PULL THE BUCKET FROM THE WATER HE INSTANTLY ENCOUNTERED A SEVERE OUT OF CG CONDITION TO THE RIGHT. PILOT WAS FULLY AWARE THAT HE HAD LIKELY GOTTEN THE CABLES FROM THE BUCKET WRAPPED AROUND THE SKID. PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RELEASE THE WATER FROM THE BUCKET TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION TO NO AVAIL. PILOT THEN BEGAN TO ROCK THE AIRCRAFT IN AN ATTEMPT TO FREE THE BUCKET UNSUCCESSFULLY. PILOT THEN RELEASED THE BUCKET USING THE CARGO RELEASE BUTTON, HEARD THE TYPICAL ?CLUNK? SOUND OF THE BUCKET RELEASING THEN ANOTHER LOUD ?CLUNK?. AT THIS POINT HE BEGAN A VIOLENT SPIN AND WENT INTO THE WATER. THE SECOND ?CLUNK? WAS THE BAMBI BUCKET CABLE CONTACTING THE TAIL ROTOR CAUSING THE VIOLENT SPIN CAUSING THE ACCIDENT. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF CABLE MARKS ON THE LANDING GEAR RIGHT LOWER SKID TUBE. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO FREE HIMSELF FROM THE AIRCRAFT, INFLATE HIS PERSONNEL FLOATATION DEVICE AND SWIM TO SAFETY. PILOT SUSTAINED A BROKEN BACK VERTEBRA AND WENT FOR SURGERY.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.