- Date
- June 12, 1984, 19:50 local (23:50 UTC)
- Place
- Salem, VA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N222LHBell 222
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 6476
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
The helicopter was flown to the site of an auto accident to transport an injured person. After landing, the patient was loaded without shutting down the eng. Due to the position of power lines, the aircrew had to depart in the opposite direction. While preparing to depart, the plt brought the helicopter to a hover & began a pedal turn. As the acft was turning, an ambulance driver began backing his vehicle toward the helicopter. The plt instinctively pulled aft on the cyclic. This resulted in the tail rotor contacting a low road barrier post. There was a loss of tail rotor effectiveness, so the plt retarded the throttle to the off position & made a hover autorotation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N222LH
- Reported as
- Bell 222
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 47060
- Airframe hours
- 701
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS-10-650C-3, 684 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Life Guard Of America,Inc., doing business as [Ems]
- Registered owner
- Rmh Air Ltd., Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- Roanoke, VA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,792 total · 85 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 225° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg