- Date
- October 20, 2015, 19:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Christmas Island, Kiribati
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N1060CBell 206
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Roll over
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 92418
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 inadequate preflight inspection and the maintenance crew's failure to remove the tie down.
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
The helicopter was operating from the deck of a fishing vessel. When the helicopter is not in use, it is secured to the deck by four straps secured to the skids of the helicopter. The pilot of the helicopter reported that he entered the helicopter for takeoff while the mechanic removed the tie downs from the helicopter. The pilot reported that when he tried to takeoff, one of the tie downs was still attached to the helicopter and the helicopter rolled to the right and impacted the helipad. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor, mast, and tail boom. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The helicopter was operating from the deck of a fishing vessel. When the helicopter is not in use, it is secured to the deck by four straps secured to the skids of the helicopter. The pilot of the helicopter reported that he entered the helicopter for takeoff while the mechanic removed the tie downs from the helicopter. The pilot reported that when he tried to takeoff, one of the tie downs was still attached to the helicopter and the helicopter rolled to the right and impacted the helipad. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor, mast, and tail boom. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1060C
- Reported as
- Bell 206 (B)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1090
- Built
- 1971
- Airframe hours
- 19,064
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Silla Co., doing business as Deep Sea Fishery
- Registered owner
- Ocean Care Co. Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 21, 2015
- Departed
- Christmas Island, POKR
- Destination
- Christmas Island, POKR
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Equipment
- Satellite tracking device, Handheld GPS, Data recorder
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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 8, 2015
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 9,649 total · 288 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 20, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.8 MB in all.