- Date
- October 1, 1993, 09:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cedar Crest, NM
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured; on the ground: 1 serious
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N41699Bell 204-B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931001046359A
- Case key
- 18968
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 ground personnel to follow published procedures. A factor was the the load jettison.
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
During external load operations the pilot was unable to position his load, a telephone pole, into a hole. The helicopter was moved to a designated load release area so that the pilot could jettison the load. After the load was jettisoned a worker ran into the area to retrieve a tool and the telephone pole bounced into him.
Factual narrative
On October 1, 1993, at 0900 mountain daylight time, a Bell 204-B helicopter, N41699, jettisoned an external load while maneuvering near Cedar Crest, New Mexico, resulting in serious injuries to a ground worker. The helicopter was operating under visual meteorological conditions. Idaho Helicopters was the operator.
The pilot reported, in his written report, and during an interview conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, that he was setting a pole between two existing telephone poles when he determined he could not put it in place. He reported that he attempted to place the pole in the hole three times before he maneuvered to a designated release area so that he could jettison the load.
The pilot and other witnesses reported that a ground worker entered the designated release area to retrieve a tool after the load was jettisoned. Witnesses reported that when the telephone pole was jettisoned it struck the ground and bounced into the worker.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41699
- Reported as
- Bell 204-B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2040
- Engine
- Lycoming L-13, 1,400 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 133
- Registered owner
- Idaho Helicopters
- Departed
- AEG · Albuquerque, NM
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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,500 total · 8,400 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 135° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.