- Date
- January 8, 1989, 14:27 local (21:27 UTC)
- Place
- Park City, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N16733Bell 206B III
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890108001319A
- Case key
- 17662
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 selection of an unsuitable landing site by the pilot, resulting in tail rotor contact with the terrain and shearing of the tail rotor driveshaft.
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 commercial plt flew a rescue team to a mountain avalanche area. The team deplaned and during the unloading procedure the helicopter settled backwards into loose snow. The plt added collective pitch and attempted to hover. As the helicopter left the ground, an uncommanded right spin began. The plt performed a hovering autorotation 30 feet away from the ground personnel. At touchdown the tail boom entered deep snow and the acft came to rest nose high. The plt discovered the tail rotor shaft had broken forward of the tail rotor gear box. A post accident investigation showed evidence that the tail rotor blades entered loose snow and were subjected to rapid deceleration. The shaft had sheared under applied torque.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16733
- Reported as
- Bell 206B III
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2138
- Airframe hours
- 3,439
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Avman Inc, doing business as Helicopter Svcs
- Registered owner
- Avman, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 2, 1988 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Destination
- NONE
- 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
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 7,404 total · 2,663 in this make and model · 7,280 as pilot in command · 107 in the last 90 days · 33 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N16733 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.