- Date
- June 1, 1989, 23:35 local (Jun 2, 1989, 05:35 UTC)
- Place
- Big Timber, MT
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N76KMBell 206L-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 10, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890601013929A
- Case key
- 17790
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain control of the aircraft during takeoff, due to spatial disorientation, which resulted in a collision with the terrain. Contributing factors were: dark night, pilot's visual perception, inadequate initial training of the pilot by the operator, the pilot's lack of familiarity with the geographical area, and the company's insufficient standards/requirements.
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
At abt 2158 MDT, the emerg med svc (ems/medevac) helicopter (hel) plt ctcd billings twr & adzd he would be making apchs to saint vincents hosp for (ngt) currency. Aprx 9 min later, he ctcd the twr again & adzd he was being dispatched on an EMS flt. The EMS flt was to a ranch (wnw of billings). The plt had difficulty finding the ranch at ngt, but arrived at 2238 MDT. The patient was loaded & the plt was adzd of trrn conds. A witness said the hel lifted off fast, then swiveledarnd quickly (toward east) & took off w/o hesitation. After depg, the hel crossed a hill & crashed at hi spd on lwr trrnin a slgt nose low, rgt bank attitude, hdg 330 deg. No preimpact mech prblm was fnd. The plt had been recently hired by the operator; prev employment involved flying a dissimilar hel (BK-105) in the gulf of Mexico area, limited to day VFR. The plt's last recorded ngt flt was on 6/16/87; his last recorded inst flt was prior to June 1984. No record was fnd of familiarization training for the geographical area. Relatives of the patient described the acdnt area as a black hole.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N76KM
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 51103
- Airframe hours
- 1,816
- Engine
- Allison 250-C30P, 650 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Rocky Mountain Helicopter, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · May 22, 1989 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Destination
- NONE · Billings, MT
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
- 47
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 9,036 total · 915 in this make and model · 51 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BIL, 35 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.