# NTSB DEN04CA111: Bell 206 L-1, N2758C, Escalante, UT, July 23, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: July 23, 2004, 14:30 local (20:30 UTC) - Place: Escalante, UT - Coordinates: 37.744998, -111.570274 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.7450&lon=-111.5703&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Standing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/150) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report September 29, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 59740 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN04CA111 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/59740/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN04CA111 ## Probable cause the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Factors contributing to the accident were the high winds, the gusts, and the refueling truck. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water collision with object, standing - idling rotors - aircraft control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - high wind (contributing factor) - weather condition - gusts (contributing factor) - object - vehicle (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot had landed the helicopter next to the refueling truck to conduct a "hot refueling." At the end of the refueling, the pilot left the helicopter to assist the ground refueler with the hose. The pilot said he heard an abnormal noise. The helicopter began to vibrate. The pilot went to neutralize the flight controls. The helicopter bounced and knocked the pilot down as he grabbed the controls. The main rotor dipped down striking the refueling truck and causing damage to the helicopter main rotor blades, the tail boom, and the truck cab. The pilot got up and shut the helicopter down. The pilot reported that a gust of wind came up causing the helicopter rotor blade to dip down and strike the truck. An examination of the helicopter showed no anomalies. Approximately 23 minutes after the accident, the Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) for Bryce Canyon, Utah (BCE), 075 degrees at 28 nautical miles from the accident scene, reported winds as 210 degrees at 19 knots with gusts to 27 knots. Approximately 34 minutes prior to the accident, BCE METAR reported a peak wind of 180 degrees at 30 knots. ## Factual narrative On July 23, 2004, at approximately 1430 mountain Daylight time, a Bell 206 L-1 helicopter, N2758C, sustained substantial damage when the main rotor system struck a refueling truck while standing on the ramp at Escalante Municipal Airport, Escalante, Utah. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The positioning flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The airline transport certificated pilot sustained minor injuries. Two persons on the ground in the vicinity of the refueling truck were not injured. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot reported he had landed next to the refueling truck to conduct a "hot refueling." At the end of the refueling, the pilot left the helicopter to assist the ground refueler with the hose. The pilot said he heard an abnormal noise. "The rotor disc had been displaced to the right. The helicopter began to vibrate. I moved towards the helicopter to neutralize the flight controls. The aircraft bounced and knocked me down as I grabbed the controls. I got up and shut the aircraft down." The pilot reported that a gust of wind came up causing the helicopter rotor blade to dip down and strike the truck. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the helicopter had touched down such that the main rotor blades came within 14 inches of the truck. An examination of the helicopter showed bending and crush damage to the main rotor blades. The tail boom was bent downward, just forward of the horizontal stabilizers. Control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the helicopter systems showed no anomalies. The refueling truck sustained a slash through the top left side of the cab, just over the driver's door. The front window post on the driver's side door was severed at the middle. The top portion of the window frame post was bent inward. The upper left-hand corner of the front windshield was shattered. The mesh cage just behind the driver's side and covering the refueling equipment was severed and bent outward. At 1453, the Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) for Bryce Canyon, Utah (BCE), 075 degrees at 28 nautical miles from the accident scene, reported winds as 210 degrees at 19 knots with gusts to 27 knots. The BCE METAR report also indicated a peak wind of 180 degrees at 30 knots occurred at 1356. ## Aircraft - Registration: N2758C (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Bell 206 L-1 - Category: Helicopter - Serial number: 45261 - Engines: Allison 250-C20B turbo shaft - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Positioning, Part 91 - Registered owner: Airwest Helicopters LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: 17U, Escalante, UT - Airport: 17U, Escalante Municipal Airport ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 44; injuries: minor; flight instructor, airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane, helicopter; medical: class 2; flight hours: 11,000 total, 2,000 in this make and model, 150 in the last 90 days, 53 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 210° at 19 knots, gusting 27 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 68 °F, dew point 37 °F - Altimeter: 30.28 inHg - Observed at: BCE ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20040723017109A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040723017109A), Jul 23, 2004: Bell 206L1, Escalante, UT, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot of the helicopter landed next to a refueling truck in order to conduct a "hot fueling" operation. At the end of the refueling, the pilot left… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.