Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 accident near Walnut Grove, AR
On August 31, 2010, a Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Walnut Grove, AR. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 31, 2010
- Place
- Walnut Grove, AR
- Aircraft
- Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.562°N, 92.554°W
- NTSB ID
- 20100831X75841
Official records · CEN10FA509
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 31, 2010, at 0355 central daylight time, a Bell 206L-1, N62AE, owned by Air Evac EMS, Inc, (Air Evac) and operated as Air Evac 30, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain following an in-flight break-up near Walnut Grove, Arkansas. Dark night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The emergency medical services (EMS) positioning flight was being operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 on a company flight plan. The pilot, flight nurse, and flight paramedic were all fatally injured. The flight departed Vilonia (AE30), Arkansas, at 0335 and was en route to Crabtree, Arkansas, to pick-up a patient. According to recorded communications, the request for the accident flight came from the Van Buren County 911 dispatch at 0316:45. The county dispatcher contacted the Air Evac Communications Center (located in West Plains, Missouri), and requested that a flight be placed on standby to transport a patient from Crabtree, Arkansas. The dispatcher commented that she was not sure the flight could go, as they had "some crappy weather" in Van Buren County. The communications center operator stated that the crew would check weather and let them know if the flight could be accepted. The Air Evac communications center contacted the flight crew of Air Evac 30 at 0319 and at 0322, the flight crew confirmed that the weather was "good" for the flight. Air Evac 30 was dispatched at 0322:36. Air Evac 30 contacted the Air Evac communications center on the LONOKE communications tower, opera
Probable cause
The pilot’s loss of aircraft control, due to spatial disorientation, resulting in the in-flight separation of the main rotor and tail boom.
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Browse: Arkansas
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
