- Date
- July 24, 2010, 10:25 local (17:25 UTC)
- Place
- Big Bear City, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N788BDBell 206 B II
- Defining event
- Approach: Loss of tail rotor effectiveness
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100724040409A
- Case key
- 76736
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 directional control during the landing approach.
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 helicopter pilot was approaching the airport for landing about 350 feet above ground level when a fixed-wing airplane taxied in front of his intended landing spot and stopped. He slowed the helicopter to avoid blowing the airplane and the helicopter subsequently lost tail rotor effectiveness. The helicopter then rapidly descended to the ground and came to rest in a drainage depression. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom during the accident sequence and the pilot was not injured. The airport elevation was 6,572 feet mean sea level (msl) and the calculated density altitude at the time of the accident was about 9,300 feet msl. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter and further stated that he could have prevented the accident by avoiding slow speeds at high density altitudes.
Factual narrative
The pilot was approaching the airport for landing about 350 feet above ground level when a fixed wing airplane taxied in front of his intended landing spot, and stopped. He slowed the helicopter to avoid blowing the airplane, and subsequently the helicopter lost tail rotor effectiveness. The helicopter then rapidly descended to the ground and came to rest in a drainage depression. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom during the accident sequence, and the pilot was not injured. The airport elevation was 6,572 feet mean sea level (msl), and the calculated density altitude at the time of the accident was about 9,300 feet msl. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter, and further stated that he could have prevented the accident by avoiding slow speeds at high density altitudes.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N788BD
- Reported as
- Bell 206 B II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1726
- Airframe hours
- 23,449
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 24, 2009 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- POC · La Verne, CA
- Destination
- L35 · Big Bear City, CA
- Airport
- L35 · Big Bear City, runway 08, 5,850 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 71
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 27, 2010
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,680 total · 3,500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.26 inHg
- Observed at
- L35
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 16, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.7 MB 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.