- Date
- December 24, 1993, 01:30 local (09:30 UTC)
- Place
- Las Vegas, NV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N162BCBell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 20, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931224047409A
- Case key
- 28625
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 properly position the helicopter away from the dolly edge during the initial touchdown.
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
The pilot reported that after landing on a wheeled dolly, he decided to move the helicopter closer to the center of the dolly. The pilot said that he moved the collective to pick the helicopter up and it 'fell backwards off the dolly,' bending the tailboom, and damaging the tail rotor.
Factual narrative
On December 24, 1993, at 0130 Pacific standard time, a Bell 206B helicopter, N162BC, sustained tailboom damage during repositioning on a private helipad in Las Vegas, Nevada. The pilot reported that after landing on a wheeled dolly he decided to move the helicopter closer to the center of the dolly. The pilot said that he moved the collective to pick the helicopter up and it "fell backwards off the dolly," bending the tailboom, and damaging the tail rotor. The helicopter was operated by Las Vegas Helicopters, Inc., and was concluding a 14 CFR Part 91 positioning flight at the time. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter incurred substantial damage; however, the certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated at the private helipad at 0055 on the day of the mishap as a local area air taxi flight under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N162BC
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2849
- Airframe hours
- 6,411
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Gerald J. Shlesinger, doing business as Las Vegas Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Gerald J. Shlesinger
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 14, 1993 · 15 hours before
- Airport
- NONE · Action Ranch Helipad
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 880 total · 689 in this make and model · 481 as pilot in command · 75 in the last 90 days · 42 in the last 30 days · 11 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.