- Date
- August 27, 2022, 21:10 local (Aug 28, 2022, 01:10 UTC)
- Place
- Chamblee, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6SDBell Textron Canada 505
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA ATL
- FAA report
- 20220827022679A
- Case key
- 105813
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 failure to ensure that the helicopter was properly positioned over a dolly before attempting to land on it, which resulted in a rollover.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the pilot, he was attempting to land the helicopter on a portable dolly, and he was following a marshaller to land on the dolly. As he lowered the collective, the helicopter’s skids fell off the back of the dolly, and the tail rotor struck the ground. The helicopter subsequently rolled over on its left side resulting in substantial damage to the main rotor and tail rotor systems. The pilot added that there were no mechanical issues with the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6SD
- Reported as
- Bell Textron Canada 505
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 65414
- Built
- 2022
- Airframe hours
- 35
- Engine
- Safran Arrius 2R, 500 hp, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · July 22, 2022 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- PVT · Aiken, SC
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- PDK · Dekalb-Peachtree
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B
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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 19, 2022
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 3,100 total · 50 in this make and model · 2,500 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KPDK
- METAR
- KPDK 280153Z 00000KT 10SM FEW065 SCT080 BKN110 23/22 A3000 RMK AO2 RAB33E48 SLP141 P0000 T02330222
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 27, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.6 MB 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.