- Date
- July 20, 2012, 13:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Circle, AK
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N363ALBell 206L-3
- Defining event
- Standing-engine(s) operating: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-01
- FAA report
- 20120720015569A
- Case key
- 84392
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot elected to land the high skid, turbine-powered helicopter in a burned-out wooded area as part of a vegetation reclamation survey. The area he selected contained several rain-soaked, burned, and fallen birch trees and required that he land on the fallen trees with the helicopter's skids perpendicular to the trees. The operator reported that, after landing atop the uneven, fallen trees, the pilot retarded the engine throttle to flight idle to begin the mandatory 2 minute engine cool down procedure. The helicopter subsequently tipped backwards and slid to the left, and the tail rotor struck a log. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom, tail rotor drive system, and tail rotor gearbox. The pilot said that there were no preimpact mechanical problems with the helicopter.
Factual narrative
The pilot elected to land a high skid, turbine-powered helicopter in a burned-out wooded area as part of a vegetation reclamation survey. The area he selected contained several rain-soaked, burned and fallen birch trees, which required that he land perpendicular to and on the fallen trees with the helicopter's skids. The operator reported that after landing atop the uneven, fallen trees, the pilot retarded the engine throttle to flight idle to begin the mandatory 2 minute engine cool down procedure. The helicopter subsequently tipped backwards and slid to the left, with the tail rotor striking a log. The pilot said there were no preimpact mechanical problems with the helicopter. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom, tail rotor drive system, and tail rotor gearbox.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N363AL
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 51472
- Airframe hours
- 12,617
- Engine
- Rolls Royce C30P, 650 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 135
- Operator
- Bristow Alaska Inc, doing business as Bristow Alaska, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Bristow Alaska Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · July 17, 2012
- Departed
- MTF · Fairbanks, AK
- Destination
- Circle, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 10, 2012
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,338 total · 2,165 in this make and model · 94 in the last 90 days · 58 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- CRC, 10 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 20, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.