- Date
- January 7, 2010, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Kalispell, MT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N127TPBell 206B
- Defining event
- Landing: Dynamic rollover
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 7, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100107004879A
- Case key
- 75244
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 maintain lateral drift control during landing.
Findings · 3
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 student pilot reported that he was landing the turbine-powered helicopter on a frozen lake covered by 18 to 24 inches of snow. He reported that during the landing flare, in reduced visibility due to blowing snow, the helicopter drifted right and when the skid depth in the snow increased the helicopter rolled over, which resulted in structural damage to the airframe. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that he was landing the turbine-powered helicopter on a frozen lake covered by 18 to 24 inches of snow. He reported that during the landing flare, in reduced visibility due to blowing snow, the helicopter drifted right and when the skid depth in the snow increased the helicopter rolled over, which resulted in structural damage to the airframe. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N127TP
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2582
- Airframe hours
- 9,381
- Engine
- Allison 250 SER, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- N127tp, LLC
- Registered owner
- N127tp, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · February 2, 2009 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- S27 · Kalispell, MT
- Destination
- Kalispell, MT
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Student, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 2, 2008
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 250 in this make and model · 5 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 7 °F, dew point 1 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.79 inHg
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 25, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 214 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.