Bell 206 accident near Fort McDowell, AZ
On April 16, 2019, a Bell 206 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Fort McDowell, AZ. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 16, 2019
- Place
- Fort McDowell, AZ
- Aircraft
- Bell 206 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.624°N, 111.676°W
- NTSB ID
- 20190416X22532
Official records · WPR19FA109
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 16, 2019, about 0706 mountain standard time, an experimental Bell 206B helicopter, N61PH, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Fort McDowell, Arizona. The commercial pilot and flight test engineer were fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 test flight. The operator reported that the purpose of the flight was to evaluate the developmental main rotor blades that had been installed on the helicopter. The helicopter was fueled for two test flight legs. The helicopter departed at 0545 for the first leg and returned about 0620, parked on the ramp with the engine at idle, and 100 lbs of ballast was added to the helicopter. Radar data showed that the helicopter departed at 0632 to continue the second leg of the test flight. The test flight consisted of multiple autorotations at maximum gross weight following a simulated loss of engine power. The operator reported that the commercial pilot who was in control of the helicopter would perform all the flight maneuvers and the flight test engineer would perform several tasks during the test flight, which included holding a 17-inch, 7.72-lb engineering laptop with his left hand above the cyclic control while simultaneously using and stowing a clipboard and pencil to manage data collection. A corded event marker that was connected to equipment in the aft cabin area was also used to identify the beginning and end of a flight test maneuver and would normally be draped over the laptop when not in use. The clipboard was normally stowed between
Probable cause
The separation of the main rotor head from the mast as a result of a sudden displacement of the cyclic stick during a low-G maneuver, leading to mast bumping. Contributing to the accident were the unsecure positioning of the flight test engineer’s laptop computer and the deviation from standard operating procedures to leave the left seat cyclic control installed during the test 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.
