Bell 206L-1 accident near Chesterfield, IN
On February 2, 2006, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Chesterfield, IN. 3 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 2, 2006
- Place
- Chesterfield, IN
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.111°N, 85.604°W
- NTSB ID
- 20060210X00193
NTSB summary
On February 2, 2006, at 0143 eastern standard time (est), a Bell 206L-1 helicopter, N593AE, operated by Petroleum Helicopters, Inc., based in Lafayette, Louisiana, was destroyed during impact with trees, wires, and residential structures while maneuvering near Chesterfield, Indiana. The emergency medical service (EMS) flight was dispatched to pickup a patient at the St. Joseph Hospital, Kokomo, Indiana, and was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 when the accident occurred. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed during the flight. The pilot, flight nurse, and paramedic were seriously injured. The flight departed Anderson Municipal Airport (AID), Anderson, Indiana, at 0139. During an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Operations Inspector, the pilot reported that they received the dispatch call at 0131. He went outside to assess the current weather conditions, which he described as being a "little hazy." The pilot then checked the local weather radar depiction and the surface conditions at the departure airport and Kokomo Municipal Airport (OKK). He indicated that the weather conditions at AID and OKK were suitable for visual flight rules (VFR) operations. The pilot reported that he did not listen to the airport's automated weather observing system (AWOS) broadcast before departure. The pilot stated that he departed to the north and almost immediately entered instrument meteorological conditions. He radioed dispatch advising that he was aborting the flight and returning to the base. He started a right turn back
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control after becoming spatially disorientated shortly after departure. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight weather evaluation, his inadvertent flight into night instrument meteorological conditions, and the ground objects that the helicopter impacted during the descent.
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Browse: Indiana · 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.
