- Date
- February 21, 2004, 13:12 local (18:12 UTC)
- Place
- Locust Grove, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N35QBell 206
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 24, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Atlanta FSDO-11
- FAA report
- 20040221030369A
- Case key
- 58784
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 failure to maintain directional control of the helicopter while lifting off a dolly to a hover. This resulted in the tail rotor blades and main rotor blades colliding with the ground and subsequent roll over.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot landed on a dolly at an angle. The pilot elected to reposition the helicopter so it would be straight on the dolly. The pilot increased collective pitch and the dolly started moving. The nose of the helicopter pitched up and to the left, and the tail rotor blades collided with the ground. The helicopter started turning to the left, and the pilot lowered the collective pitch. The main rotor blades collided with the ground and the helicopter rolled over on its right side. The pilot stated he did not experience any mechanical problems with the helicopter before the accident.
Factual narrative
On February 21, 2004, at 1312 eastern standard time, a Bell 206, N35Q, registered to Fayette Air Services LLC, operated by a private owner as a 14 CFR Part 91 repositioning flight, collided with the ground while attempting to takeoff to a hover from a portable platform. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter received substantial damage. The commercial pilot reported no injuries. The flight was originating at the time of the accident on February 21, 2004.
The pilot stated he had completed a flight from Andrews, North Carolina, to Locust Grove, Georgia. He landed on a portable dolly in order to move the helicopter into a hanger for parking. He landed at an angle on the dolly and elected to reposition the helicopter. The dolly was chocked on a 2 to 3-degree down slope. He increased the collective pitch and the dolly started moving. The nose of the helicopter pitched up and to the left, the tail rotor collided with the ground, and he lowered the collective pitch. The tail rotor blades separated and the helicopter started turning to the left. The main rotor blades collided with the ground and the helicopter rolled over on its right side. The pilot stated he did not experience any mechanical problems with the helicopter before the accident.
Examination of the crash site revealed the helicopter came to rest on its right side about 50 feet from the dolly. The tail boom had separated as well as the tail rotor and main rotor blades. Ground scars were located on the ground behind the helicopter where the tail rotor blades had collided with the ground. In addition, ground scars were present on the ground where the main rotor blades collided with the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N35Q
- Reported as
- Bell 206
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3073
- Airframe hours
- 12,237
- Engine
- Allison C250-L20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William H. Martin Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 6, 2003 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- GA04 · Locust Grove, GA
- Destination
- GA04
- Airport
- GA04 · Mallard Landing
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- October 14, 2003
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,190 total · 170 in this make and model · 1,143 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ATL, 21 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.