- Date
- September 2, 1992, 18:45 local (Sep 3, 1992, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Bayfield, CO
- Injuries
- 3 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N911NMBell 206L3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 16, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920902035079A
- Case key
- 18161
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-in-command to properly use the helicopter's performance data. Factors which contributed to the accident were: the adverse terrain and high density altitude.
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
While attempting to land in rough, rocky mountainous terrain during a medivac flight, at a pressure altitude of 9,830 ft, loss of tail rotor effectiveness occurred, and the helicopter descended rapidly and crashed onto rocks. The helicopter was operating in a performance limited portion of the hover performance chart at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N911NM
- Reported as
- Bell 206L3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 51569
- Airframe hours
- 158
- Engine
- Allison C-30, 650 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Air Methods Corporation, doing business as Air Care I
- Registered owner
- Air Methods Corporation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · August 5, 1992 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- Farmington, NM
- Destination
- Durango, CO
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,671 total · 434 in this make and model · 5,158 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 12 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DRO, 30 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.