# Accident 20200707011479A: Bell UH-1H, Payson, AZ, July 7, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 7, 2020, 12:15 local time
- Place: Payson, AZ
- Airport: Payson
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
- Operator: XW9A
- Location: 34.2719° N, 111.5275° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.2719&lon=-111.5275&mi=10
- Aircraft: N623PB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N623PB-2022-02-26) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell UH-1H (registry code 1181407, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-uh-1h) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming T-53 series (registry code 41552, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-t-53-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL UH-1H
- Reported engine: LYCOMING T-53
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR20LA211](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR20LA211) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200707011479A

## Narrative

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

ON TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020 AT APPROXIMATELY 1216 MST, A UH-1H HELICOPTER, N623PB, IMPACTED TERRAIN WITH ONE OCCUPANT ON BOARD. THE AIRCRAFT WAS PERFORMING LONG-LINE CARGO DELIVERY OPERATIONS IN SUPPORT OF FIRE SUPPRESSION ON THE TONTO NATIONAL FOREST WHEN THE MISHAP OCCURRED.THE HELICOPTER PITCHED UP AND THEN LEVELED OFF THEN PITCHED UP AGAIN AND FELL TO THE GROUND IMPACTING ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT

THE HELICOPTER N623PB WAS MOVING A CARGO NET WITH BOTTLED WATER AND GATORADE FROM ONE CAMP TO ANOTHER WHEN WITNESSES SAID IT PITCHED UP AND CAME BACK LEVEL AND THEN PITCHED UP AGAIN AND FELL TO THE GROUND. DUE TO COVID 19 THE FAA DID NOT DISPATCH AN INSPECTOR TO THE SCENE AND IS WAITING FOR PARTS TEAR DOWN TO BE PERFORMED UNTIL THINGS GET MORE FAVORABLE TO TRAVEL.

## 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 WPR20LA211](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR20LA211), Jul 7, 2020: Bell UH1H (N623PB), Payson, AZ, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: A flight control malfunction due to either a hydraulic hardover or a flight control stiffness event, which resulted in a loss of control.

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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