- Date
- April 4, 2002, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Leadville, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N997GMBell 206B-III
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 20, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20020404007759A
- Case key
- 54459
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 inadvertent flight into adverse weather, which resulted in a collision with terrain. A contributing factor was the downdraft.
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, who was on a power line patrol in mountainous terrain, flew the helicopter 100 feet to the right of the power line and into a 10 to 18 knot headwind. Airspeed was between 70 and 80 knots, altitude was 400 feet above the ground, and power was between 70 to 80 percent torque. As he turned to continue following the power line, a "strong downdraft pushed the helicopter" into the ground despite his efforts to regain control. The helicopter struck snow-covered terrain and rolled over.
Factual narrative
On April 4, 2002, approximately 1400 mountain standard time, N997GM, a Bell 206B-III helicopter, operated by AeroWest Helicopters, Inc., of Corrales, New Mexico, was destroyed when it struck terrain during an uncontrolled descent 5 miles north of Leadville, Colorado. Both the commercial pilot and a passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the aerial observation flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Part 91. The flight originated in Eagle, Colorado, approximately 1330.
According to a written statement given to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the pilot said he was patrolling a power line between Leadville and Breckenridge. He was about 100 feet to the right of the power line, flying east into a 10 to 18 knot headwind. Airspeed was between 70 and 80 knots, altitude was 400 feet above the ground, and power was between 70 to 80 percent torque. The power line turned north towards Mosquito Pass. As the pilot started the turn, a "strong downdraft pushed the helicopter" towards the ground. The LOW ROTOR RPM horn sounded and the pilot lowered the collective control to regain rotor rpm, and simultaneously moved the cyclic control forward and to the right to avoid the power lines. After rotor rpm was regained, the pilot increased torque to 100 to 103 percent "to keep the helicopter flying." He said the downdraft continued to push the helicopter towards the ground and the LOW ROTOR RPM horn continued sounding. The pilot said he "decreased collective with forward airspeed with the cyclic" in an attempt to fly out of the downdraft, but to no avail. The helicopter's aft skids struck snow-covered terrain and "dug in." The helicopter rolled "once or twice" and came to rest on the underside of the fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N997GM
- Reported as
- Bell 206B-III
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2366
- Airframe hours
- 8,890
- Engine
- Rolls Royce/Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- AeroWest Management Services, Inc., doing business as AeroWest Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Copter Lease LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 17, 2002 · 24 hours before
- Departed
- EGE · Eagle, CO
- Destination
- LXV · Leadville, CO
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- January 21, 2002
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,453 total · 624 in this make and model · 2,203 as pilot in command · 104 in the last 90 days · 81 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
- Observed at
- LXV, 5 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 29, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 450 KB 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.