- Date
- April 20, 2013, 10:40 local (17:40 UTC)
- Place
- Wells, NV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4237MBell 206B
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20130420005949A
- Case key
- 86698
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 clearance from an obstacle while maneuvering at a low altitude.
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 pilot reported that he was flying the helicopter to specific locations within hilly sage and brush covered terrain in order for his passenger to set mining claim stakes at various intervals. Movement between the stake locations was typically conducted at a low altitude. The pilot stated that as he flew the helicopter over the crest of a hill, he felt the helicopter shudder and vibrate, and he initiated an autorotation to an open field. After what he described as an uneventful landing, the pilot noticed that the tailrotor and its drive shaft were damaged. The pilot further reported that he noticed a bush with several broken branches that was located along the helicopter's flight path, and he believed that the tailrotor struck that bush while he was maneuvering. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was flying the helicopter to specific locations within hilly sage and brush covered terrain in order for his passenger to set mining claim stakes at various intervals of 300, 600, and 1,500 feet. Movement between locations was typically conducted at a low altitude. The pilot stated that as he flew the helicopter over the crest of a hill, he felt a shudder and subsequent vibration and initiated an autorotation to an open field. Following an uneventful landing, the pilot noticed that the tailrotor and tailrotor drive shaft were damaged. The pilot further reported that during recovery of the helicopter, he located a bush with several broken branches which was located within the flight path of the helicopter and felt that the tailrotor struck the bush while he was maneuvering. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4237M
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 4055
- Airframe hours
- 7,751
- Engine
- Rolls-Royc 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Air drop · Part 91
- Operator
- Reeder Flying Service
- Registered owner
- Reeder Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 20, 2013 · 67 hours before
- Departed
- Wells, NV
- Destination
- Wells, NV
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 25, 2013
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 7,115 total · 2,709 in this make and model · 6,978 as pilot in command · 68 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- EKO, 23 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 12, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 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.