Bell 206 accident near Benson, AZ
On January 1, 2015, a Bell 206 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Benson, AZ. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 1, 2015
- Place
- Benson, AZ
- Aircraft
- Bell 206 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 31.956°N, 110.409°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150101X15630
Official records · WPR15FA072
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control Communications Summary: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 31, 2014, at 1710 mountain standard time, a Bell 206L-4, N57AW, collided with terrain 7 miles west of Benson, AZ. The commercial pilot and pilot rated mechanic were fatally injured and the helicopter was destroyed. The helicopter was registered to N57AW LLC and operated by Airwest Helicopters under the provision of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a positioning flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight which operated on a company visual flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from Glendale, AZ, at 1550 and was destined for Sierra Vista, AZ. The helicopter had been at the Airwest facilities in Glendale undergoing a 100-hour inspection. The inspection was completed immediately prior to the helicopter's departure. The purpose of the flight was to reposition the helicopter to Sierra Vista, where it was contracted to provide air support to the Cochise County Sheriff's Office the next day. The Chief Pilot stated that he had numerous face to face discussions with the pilot about the maintenance work being done on the helicopter and the weather conditions. Both the accident pilot and Chief Pilot were comfortable with the intended flight to Sierra Vista. An Airwest mechanic accompanied the pilot on the repositioning flight in order to perform the main rotor mast nut torque check after they landed, which was due within the next 5 flight hours. The operator reported that the helicopter had not arrived at its destination and that the Sky Connect Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) system indicated that the helicopter was at
Probable cause
The pilot’s continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions which resulted in an inflight collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight planning, during which he failed to identify forecasted deteriorating weather conditions along the route of flight.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
- Cessna 402C, Jun 19, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Aug 17, 1983
- Piper PA-31-350, Feb 13, 1995
- Cessna 421C, Sep 2, 1995
Browse: Arizona · 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.
