Bell 206B accident near Green Cove Springs, FL
On December 26, 2011, a Bell 206B (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Green Cove Springs, FL. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 26, 2011
- Place
- Green Cove Springs, FL
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 29.881°N, 81.755°W
- NTSB ID
- 20111226X15753
Official records · ERA12MA122
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC 3 - Transcript, Jacksonville Approach: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 26, 2011, about 0554 eastern standard time, a Bell 206B helicopter, N5016M, collided with terrain while maneuvering near Green Cove Springs, Florida. The airline transport pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to Abraham Holdings, LLC, and operated by SK Logistics, doing business as SK Jets, as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 on-demand air taxi flight. Night instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed along the flight route, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Mayo Clinic Heliport (6FL1), Jacksonville, Florida, about 0537 and was destined for Shands Cair Heliport (63FL), Gainesville, Florida. Review of the pilot's portable electronic devices revealed that he received a call from a company scheduler about 0335 notifying him about the accident trip. About 0357, he reviewed weather reports for airports near the flight route on his computer. About 0423, he opened a card-activated entrance gate to the SK Jets hangars at Northeast Florida Regional Airport (SGJ), St. Augustine, Florida. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar data, the helicopter conducted an uneventful repositioning flight from SGJ to 6FL1. It departed SGJ about 0517 and arrived at 6FL1 about 0530. Although the helicopter initially climbed to 1,000 feet above ground level (agl) during the repositioning flight, it then flew between 700 and 900 feet. After picking up the two passengers, the helicopter departed 6FL1 to the southwest, flying a tr
Probable cause
The pilot’s improper decision to continue visual flight into night instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the pilot’s improper decision was his self-induced pressure to complete the trip.
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Browse: Florida · 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.
