Bell 206B accident near Eureka, NV
On February 18, 2013, a Bell 206B (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Eureka, NV. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 18, 2013
- Place
- Eureka, NV
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.481°N, 115.839°W
- NTSB ID
- 20130218X22833
Official records · WPR13GA128
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn February 18, 2013, at 1424 Pacific standard time, a Bell 206B helicopter, N20620, collided with power transmission lines near Eureka, Nevada. El Aero Services, Inc., owned the helicopter, which was being operated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), as a public-use seed-dispersal flight. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries; the helicopter was substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The flight departed about 1420 from a temporary loading area 2 miles east of the accident site. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The helicopter was utilized for a low-level (100-200 feet above ground level) aerial reseeding project for the area damaged by the "Pinto Fire," which occurred in June 2012, just east of Eureka. The land was managed by the BLM, and the services of El Aero were retained for the DOI utilizing an "On Call" contract. At 0700 on the morning of the accident, the pilot departed in the helicopter from Ely Airport (Yelland Field), Ely, Nevada. He proceeded 40 miles south-southwest to a helispot south of Lund, at the base of Ninemile Mountain. Over the course of the next 2 hours he performed about 10 separate seed application runs utilizing a seeder attached to the bottom of the helicopter, returning to the helispot to reload each time. At 0947, he departed for a second helispot 70 miles northwest in the Pinto Creek Ranch area, along the eastern foothills of the Diamond Mountains range. From there he flew a reconnaissance mission along the intended dro
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a wire while maneuvering during low-altitude operations. Contributing to the accident was task- and/or work-related fatigue.
More accidents in NV
- Cessna 425, Jan 12, 1992
- Cessna TU206G, Dec 7, 1986
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Browse: Nevada · 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.
