# Accident 20180716011349A: Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1, New Castle, IN, July 16, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 16, 2018, 09:30 local time
- Place: New Castle, IN
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: 1ERG
- Location: 39.5647° N, 85.2356° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.5647&lon=-85.2356&mi=10
- Aircraft: N39LR, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N39LR) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 (registry code 1182107, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-helicopter-textron-206l-1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C30P (registry code 54013, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rolls-royce-250-c30p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON 206L-1
- Reported engine: ROLLS-ROYC 250-C30P
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 20,822 total, 878 in this make and model, 67 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB GAA18CA424](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA18CA424) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180716011349A

## Narrative

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

ON JULY 16, 2018, AT APPROXIMATELY 0930 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON 206L-1 HELICOPTER, N39LR, IMPACTED A CORN FIELD NEAR NEW CASTLE, INDIANA.  THE COMMERCIAL RATED PILOT SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES, AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED.  THE HELICOPTER WAS REGISTERED TO HORNET LLC AND WAS OPERATED BY BLACK STAR LLC UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 137 AS AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE FLIGHT.

THE LOCAL FLIGHT DEPARTED A LOADING PLATFORM ADJACENT TO THE ACCIDENT SITE WITH A LOADING HOSE ATTACHED TO THE FUEL AND CHEMICAL TRUCK.

## 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 GAA18CA424](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA18CA424), Jul 16, 2018: Bell 206 (N39LR), New Castle, IN, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to ensure that the fill hose was disconnected from the helicopter before takeoff, which resulted in the fill hose striking the tail rotor and the subsequent loss of tail rotor…

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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