- Date
- May 20, 1982, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Gate City, VA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N5002XBell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 20, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820520017449A
- Case key
- 69201
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
This was an external load operation to move seismographic oil exploration equipment. The pilot flew to the loading zone with a 150 ft cable and an aluminum bucket. After arriving, he lowered the bucket and hovered while the bucket was loaded. The pilot then lifted the loaded bucket to about 40 ft AGL. At about that time, he transmitted that he had a problem and had to sit the helicoptter down. The bucket came down hard about 10 ft from its pickup point and the helicopter moved to a clear area. Subsequently, the helicopter hit the top of a tree, then crash into the ground about 90 ft from the tree. The aluminum bucket had been dragged about 200 ft before it came to rest at the bottom of the tree. The cable was draped across the tree and the right skid but was found released. An examination revealed no precrash malfunction of the flight controls and no mechanical failure of the engine was verified.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5002X
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2425
- Airframe hours
- 2,425
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 133
- Operator
- Imperial Intn'L
- Registered owner
- Imperial Intn'L
- Departed
- Gate City, VA
- Destination
- Gate City, VA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 4,522 total · 803 in this make and model · 67 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Temperature
- 162 °F, dew point 32 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.