# Accident 20190416003309A: Bell 206B, Ft Mcdowell, AZ, April 16, 2019

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 16, 2019, 07:06 local time
- Place: Ft Mcdowell, AZ
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Other, Specify
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.6236° N, 111.6756° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.6236&lon=-111.6756&mi=10
- Aircraft: N61PH, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N61PH) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206B (registry code 1181511, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C20B (registry code 54385, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rolls-royce-250-c20b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- Reported engine: ROLLS-ROYC 250-C20B
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 5,167 total, 612 in this make and model, 7 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR19FA109](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR19FA109) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190416003309A

## Narrative

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

ON APRIL 16, 2019, ABOUT 05:45 LOCAL MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON MODEL 206B, SERIAL NUMBER 3282, N61PH, WHICH WAS CERTIFICATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR SECTION 21.191(A) (RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT) IN SUPPORT OF SUPPLEMENTAL TYPE CERTIFICATE (STC) PROJECT FOR NEW COMPOSITE MAIN ROTOR BLADES. THE HELICOPTER DEPARTED FALCON FIELD AIRPORT MESA, ARIZONA (KFFZ) AND CONDUCTED AN APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTE FLIGHT NEAR FORT MCDOWELL, ARIZONA. THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO FALCON FIELD AIRPORT MESA, ARIZONA (KFFZ) AT APPROXIMATELY 06:20 WHERE THE CREW REPORTEDLY LANDED WITHOUT SHUTTING DOWN THE HELICOPTER, THEIR MECHANIC ADDED FOUR (4) TWENTY-FIVE  (25) POUNDS OF LEAD SHOOT BALLAST FOR THE NEXT FLIGHT TEST. THE HELICOPTER THEN DEPARTED AGAIN WITH ATC AUTHORIZATION AT APPROXIMATELY 06:32. THE LAST RADAR REPORT WAS AT 07:06 LOCAL WITH A HEADING OF 345 AND 87 KNOTS AT 4,400 MSL APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE SOUTH OF THE TOWN OF FORT MCDOWELL, ARIZONA AND APPROXIMATELY 11.67 MILES NORTH EAST OF FALCON FIELD AIRPORT MESA, ARIZONA (KFFZ). THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED THE GROUND LEVEL ON RIGHT SIDE HEADING APPROXIMATELY 153 DEGREES AT 1,309? ELEVATION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED WITH POST IMPACT FIRE. THE HELICOPTER WAS REGISTERED TO ONE COMPANY AND OPERATED BY ANOTHER COMPANY UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED WITH ATC. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND THE ONE OTHER CREW MEMBER ONBOARD SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES.

## 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 WPR19FA109](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR19FA109), Apr 16, 2019: Bell 206 (N61PH), Fort McDowell, AZ, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The separation of the main rotor head from the mast as a result of a sudden displacement of the cyclic stick during a low-G maneuver, leading to mast bumping. Contributing to the accident were the…

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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