- Date
- September 11, 2007, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Rosamond, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N205LTBell 206-B2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20070911018949A
- Case key
- 66649
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 compensation for gusting variable winds encountered after landing. Factors include gusting, suddenly shifting winds, and a hangar near the spot where the helicopter had landed.
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
After hover-taxiing to his normal parking spot in strong gusting variable winds, the pilot landed the helicopter. He then rolled the throttle to flight-idle, frictioned the collective down, started the timing for the required two-minute turbine cool down, and leaned forward to tighten the friction for the cyclic. At that point, the helicopter, which still had considerable energy in its slowing main rotor, was hit by a strong gust of wind. The helicopter became momentarily airborne, and collided with a nearby hangar. According to witnesses, the winds at the airport were gusting between the hangars, resulting in sudden strong gusts coming from varying directions.
Factual narrative
After hover-taxiing to his normal parking spot in strong gusting variable winds, the pilot landed the helicopter. He then rolled the throttle to flight-idle, frictioned the collective down, started the timing for the required two-minute turbine cool down, and leaned forward to tighten the friction for the cyclic. At that point, the helicopter, which still had considerable energy in its slowing main rotor, was hit by a strong gust of wind. The helicopter became momentarily airborne, and collided with a nearby hangar. According to witnesses, the winds at the airport were gusting between the hangars, resulting in sudden strong gusts coming from varying directions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N205LT
- Reported as
- Bell 206-B2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1459
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce 250-C20, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- William P. Francis
- Registered owner
- William P. Francis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KTSP · Tehachapi, CA
- Destination
- L00 · Rosamond, CA
- Airport
- L00 · Rosamond Skypark
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 17,000 total · 1,100 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 14 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 97 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- KWJR, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.