# NTSB ANC03LA015: Bell 206B, N16962, Kingman, AZ, November 15, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: November 15, 2002, 16:30 local (23:30 UTC) - Place: Kingman, AZ - Coordinates: 35.195248, -114.05057 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1952&lon=-114.0506&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report November 25, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA Las Vegas FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 56078 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC03LA015 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/56078/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC03LA015 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance from obstacles during cruise flight, which resulted in the helicopter striking a transmission line, and subsequently the ground. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, cruise - altitude/clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - object - wire,transmission - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The private pilot was making a cross country flight in the helicopter in visual meteorological conditions. A sergeant for the sheriff's office said his office received a cellular telephone call from a motorist, advising of the helicopter accident. He said when he arrived at the accident site, he saw a debris field about 50 yards long perpendicular to a line of power poles. He said the poles were about 60 feet high, and two power lines were stretched between each pole, with the top line about 4 feet above the lower line. He said the site was in a fairly remote area of the desert, and that the power lines terminated at a ranch several miles from the accident site. He said the lower power line appeared to have been cut by the helicopter between two of the poles, and the top power line was intact. The sergeant said the owner of the ranch at the end of the power line reported a power failure about 1630. An FAA aviation safety inspector, who responded to the accident site, said the wreckage was scattered along a path about 50 yards long in the direction of the helicopter's destination. He said it appeared the helicopter, on a general heading of south, crossed perpendicular to a road and power lines, and impacted the ground about 50 yards south of the power lines. He said there was no large impact crater, and that all the major components of the helicopter were located at the accident site. He said the helicopter came to rest on its left side. The main rotor system was intact, and one main rotor blade had little or no damage. The second main rotor blade exhibited impact damage and striations starting about 4 feet from the hub on the leading edge, which he said were consistent with cutting the power line. The second blade also had span-wise flex folding along the trailing edge. ## Factual narrative On November 15, 2002, about 1630 mountain standard time, a Bell 206B helicopter, N16962, sustained substantial damage during an in-flight collision with terrain after striking a power line about 15 miles northwest of Kingman, Arizona. The helicopter was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo private pilot sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at Saint George Municipal Airport, Saint George, Utah, about 1530, and was bound for Lake Havasu City, Arizona. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on November 15, a sergeant for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office said his office received a cellular telephone call from a motorist, advising of the helicopter accident. He said when he arrived at the accident site, he saw a debris field about 50 yards long perpendicular to a line of power poles. He said the poles were about 60 feet high, with two power lines stretched between each pole. He said the site was in a fairly remote area of the desert, and that the power lines terminated at a ranch several miles from the accident site. He said the two power lines were stacked vertically on the poles, and the top line was about 4 feet above the lower line. He said the lower power line appeared to have been cut by the helicopter between two of the poles, and the top power line was intact. The sergeant said the owner of the ranch at the end of the power line reported a power failure about 1630. During a telephone conversation with the IIC on November 16, an FAA aviation safety inspector (ASI) from the Las Vegas Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), who responded to the accident site, said the wreckage was scattered along a path about 50 yards long in the direction of Lake Havasu, the helicopter's destination. He said it appeared the helicopter, on a general heading of south, crossed perpendicular to a road and power lines, and impacted the ground about 50 yards south of the power lines. The ASI said there was no large impact crater, and that all the major components of the helicopter were located at the accident site. He said the helicopter came to rest on its left side, that the main rotor system was intact, and that one main rotor blade had little or no damage. The second main rotor blade exhibited impact damage, and striations starting about 4 feet from the hub on the leading edge, which he said were consistent with cutting the power line. The second blade also had span-wise flex folding along the trailing edge. According to FAA records the pilot had extensive flying experience in fixed wing airplanes, but the helicopter was a recent acquisition. The pilot did attend a manufacturer's flight training program, and had acquired about 170 hours of flight time in helicopters. During a telephone conversation with the IIC on August 5, 2003, the pathologist from the Mohave County Coroner's Office in Arizona, said the official report was not yet transcribed, but according to the doctor's notes, the pilot died from multiple blunt force trauma resulting from the accident. A toxicology report prepared by the FAA Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, detected Amlodipine in the pilot's blood and urine. Amlodipine is a drug routinely used to control high blood pressure. The use of Amlodipine was not documented in any of the pilot's FAA medical records. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N16962](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N16962-2012-08-10), registration cancelled 2012-08-10, S/N 2362, built 1978 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Bell 206B - Registry model: [Bell 206B](https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (registry code 1181511) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Allison 250 SER 400HP](https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-ser-400hp) (registry code 03013, turbo-shaft) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Helicopter - Serial number: 2362 - Engines: Allison 250 SER 400 horsepower turbo shaft - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: John McCoy - Registered owner: Helicopter Technology Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: SGU, Saint George, UT - Destination: HII, Lake Havasu Cty, AZ ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 60; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review June 20, 2002; toxicology performed; flight hours: 4,900 total, 105 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 360° at 11 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 61 °F, dew point 19 °F - Altimeter: 30.29 inHg - Observed at: KIGM, 15 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20021115032209A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20021115032209A), Nov 15, 2002: Bell 206B, Kingman, AZ, Destroyed, 1 fatal. (-23) On November 15, 2002 at approx 1630 MST, a BHT-206B helicopter, N16962, s/n 2362 had in-flight collision with a power line and was destroyed upon… ## Other investigations on N16962 (2) 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 FTW91LA121](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW91LA121), Jul 14, 1991: Bell 206B (N16962), Freeport, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ROTOR RPM DURING THE AUTOROTATION. FACTORS WERE THE FUEL EXHAUSTION INDUCED POWER LOSS DUE TO THE PILOT'S IMPROPER PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTION. - [NTSB FTW88LA153](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW88LA153), Aug 18, 1988: Bell 206B (N16962), Pearland, TX, substantial damage 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.