20180721017459I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4 · Kavik, AK · July 21, 2018

Date: July 21, 2018 · 17:45 local
Place: Kavik, AK
Airport: Kavik River
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: ENRA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N316MH
Reported as: Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4
Reported engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C30P
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,975 total200 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days

N316MHRegistered now · Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4S/N 52323 · Built 2006 Airframe modelBell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4 Engine modelRolls-Royce 250-C30PTurbo-shaft

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot was manuevering the helicopter up a hill and into a gulley to pick up additional passengers. As the pilot approached the gully he encountered some crosswing and down draft. At that time the pilot decided the landing spot was no good. As he applied power and forward cyclic input, the toe of the skid of the aircraft contacted the ground causing the aircraft to tip forward. When the aircraft tipped forward the main rotor disk contacted the gulley walls consisting of hard clay and brittle shale rock. Pilot was nervous the aircraft would roll over if he settled down there so he flew to his previous landing spot that he knew was good.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS MANUEVERING THE HELICOPTER UP A HILL AND INTO A GULLEY TO PICK UP ADDITIONAL PASSENGERS. AS THE PILOT APPROACHED THE GULLY HE ENCOUNTERED SOME CROSSWING AND DOWN DRAFT. AT THAT TIME THE PILOT DECIDED THE LANDING SPOT WAS NO GOOD. AS HE APPLIED POWER AND FORWARD CYCLIC INPUT, THE TOE OF THE SKID OF THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED THE GROUND CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO TIP FORWARD. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT TIPPED FORWARD THE MAIN ROTOR DISK CONTACTED THE GULLEY WALLS CONSISTING OF HARD CLAY AND BRITTLE SHALE ROCK. PILOT WAS NERVOUS THE AIRCRAFT WOULD ROLL OVER IF HE SETTLED DOWN THERE SO HE FLEW TO HIS PREVIOUS LANDING SPOT THAT HE KNEW WAS GOOD.