- Date
- February 1, 2005, 14:26 local (19:26 UTC)
- Place
- Lancaster, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N59MBBell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 28, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20050201001319A
- Case key
- 60947
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 loss of lateral control while attempting to transition to a hover from the ground. A factor was the bright sunlight conditions.
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
As the pilot increased collective to transition to a hover, the helicopter immediately rolled over onto its right side. The pilot added that the helicopter was positioned into the direct sunlight, and he experienced "dazzling sunlight" being reflected from surrounding snow banks. The pilot did not report any mechanical difficulties with the helicopter.
Factual narrative
On February 1, 2005, at 1426 eastern standard time, a Bell 206B, N59MB, was substantially damaged while attempting to transition to a hover from the ground at the Lancaster Airport, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, as he was raising the collective to hover the helicopter, it immediately rolled over onto its right side. The pilot added that the helicopter was positioned into the direct sunlight, and he experienced "dazzling sunlight" being reflected from surrounding snow banks.
The pilot did not report any mechanical difficulties with the helicopter.
Inspection of the helicopter revealed that the main rotor blades and the tail rotor assembly sustained substantial damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N59MB
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 847
- Airframe hours
- 10,278
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce 250C-20R, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Leslie Alan Jones
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 12, 2004 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- LNS · Lancaster, PA
- Airport
- LNS · Lancaster Airport
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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,745 total · 50 in this make and model · 27 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 3 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.