Bell 206B accident near New York, NY
On October 4, 2011, a Bell 206B (helicopter) was involved in an accident near New York, NY. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 4, 2011
- Place
- New York, NY
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 40.739°N, 73.968°W
- NTSB ID
- 20111004X71245
Official records · ERA12MA005
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
- Investigation page: status, final report and safety recommendations
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 4, 2011, about 1525 eastern daylight time, a Bell 206B helicopter, N63Q, crashed into the East River shortly after takeoff from East 34th Street Heliport (6N5), New York, New York. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured, one passenger sustained serious injuries, and two passengers were fatally injured. The helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to and operated by a private pilot as a personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The flight originated from 6N5 about 1524 and was scheduled to return to 6N5. The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to take friends visiting from abroad on a sightseeing flight around New York City. According to the pilot, who was seated in the right cockpit seat, he completed the "before takeoff" check in accordance with the checklist. At takeoff, he brought the helicopter to a 3- to 5-foot hover, made a right pedal turn, and attempted to depart into the wind. He initiated the takeoff to the northeast and continued the turn north, into the wind. He estimated that the helicopter climbed to an altitude of about 30 to 50 feet above the East River, where he felt a small left yaw and then applied the right anti-torque pedal. At that time, he believed that the helicopter was "weathervaning," but he then heard what he thought was the "engine-out" audio warning and thought he had an engine failure. In response, he initiated a hard rig
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to anticipate and correct for conditions (high gross weight, low indicated airspeed, and a right downwind turn) conducive to loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE), which resulted in LTE and an uncontrolled spin. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in the helicopter being in excess of its maximum allowable gross weight at t
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Browse: New York · 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.
