Bell 206L-3 accident near Whiteriver, AZ
On July 26, 2003, a Bell 206L-3 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Whiteriver, AZ. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 26, 2003
- Place
- Whiteriver, AZ
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-3 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 2 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.886°N, 109.675°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030807X01277
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 26, 2003, at 1028 mountain standard time, a Bell 206L-3, N6184D (fire call sign Helicopter 356), crashed near Whiteriver, Arizona. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Fort Apache Indian Reservation, operated the helicopter under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The helicopter was destroyed. The commercial pilot and one passenger were fatally injured; two passengers sustained serious injuries. One person on the ground was not injured. The public-use flight departed the Whiteriver Airport (E24), at 1000, en route to the Wilderness Fire in the vicinity of Aspen Ridge, 12 statute miles from E24. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a BIA company flight plan had been filed. The first flight of the day to do a reconnaissance work on the Kinishba Fire was performed between 0858 and 0932. The helicopter returned to Whiteriver, and the second flight, the accident flight, departed at 1000. According to a National Weather Service zone forecast for the Northern Arizona area, the weather was forecasted to be partly cloudy in the morning then becoming mostly cloudy, with scattered showers and thunderstorms; light winds, with a 50 percent chance of precipitation. The temperature was forecasted to be from 73 degrees to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Weather information obtained from the fire lookout reported the weather as 73 degrees Fahrenheit with southwesterly winds from 2-4 miles per hour. The density altitude was calculated to be 11,968 feet. The purpose of the flight was to insert a 3-person helicopter initial attack (helitack) crew to conduct an ini
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain a minimum translational lift airspeed while maneuvering in high density altitude conditions at near maximum required torque and above the in ground effect hover altitude, that resulted in a loss of tail rotor effectiveness and a loss of control. The pilot's inadequate in flight planning in his failure to note and account for the power requirements necessary to condu
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Browse: Arizona · Bell aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
