Bell 206A accident near Wenatchee, WA
On July 23, 2014, a Bell 206A (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Wenatchee, WA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 23, 2014
- Place
- Wenatchee, WA
- Aircraft
- Bell 206A · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 47.623°N, 120.424°W
- NTSB ID
- 20140723X81618
Official records · WPR14FA310
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 23, 2014, about 1418 Pacific daylight time, a Bell 206A, N949FM, landed hard and rolled onto its right side near Wenatchee, Washington. Applebee Aviation was operating the helicopter under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 for the cherry tree drying operation. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence. The local flight departed at an undetermined time. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. No witnesses visually observed the accident. An ear witness heard the helicopter, and then a thud followed by silence. This witness and her spouse responded to the site, and observed the helicopter on its side and smoking. Other personnel arrived; they applied several fire extinguishers to the smoking area at the back of the engine, and the smoking stopped. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe operator reported that the 40-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with a rating for rotorcraft-helicopter. The pilot held a second-class medical certificate issued on June 30, 2014, with no limitations or waivers. An examination of the pilot's logbook indicated an estimated total flight time of 237 hours as of the last entry on July 15, 2014. He logged 12 hours in the previous 30 days, and had an estimated 13.2 hours in this make and model. The pilot's first logged entry was July 13, 2004. The logbook indicated 121.7 hours in an R22, and 76.8 hours in a Hughes 269A. He completed a flight check for the commercial pi
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper decent rate and path, which resulted in a hard landing and dynamic rollover. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's impairment by a sedating medication.
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Browse: Washington · 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.
