- Date
- August 27, 2021, 06:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Glide, OR · Wooded terrain
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N303AEBell Helicopter Textron 206L-1
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20210827008709A
- Case key
- 103789
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 a tree during an aerial application.
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 of the helicopter reported that, while conducting an aerial application over an open area, the main rotor blades struck a tree that he had previously not seen. Subsequently, the helicopter began to spin to the left and impacted the terrain. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tailboom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N303AE
- Reported as
- Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 45348
- Built
- 1979
- Engine
- Allison 250, 250 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- North Wind Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- North Wind Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special); Standard, Normal
- Airport
- N/A
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
- Serious
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 1, 2021
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 29,000 total · 140,016 in this make and model · 27,000 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- KRBG, 23 nm away
- METAR
- KRBG 271322Z AUTO 35009KT 10SM SCT015 OVC030 17/12 A3009 RMK AO2 T01720122
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 9, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.9 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.