Bell 206 accident near New Salem, NC
On October 17, 2019, a Bell 206 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near New Salem, NC. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 17, 2019
- Place
- New Salem, NC
- Aircraft
- Bell 206 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.149°N, 80.362°W
- NTSB ID
- 20191018X65951
Official records · ERA20FA012
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 17, 2019, about 1538 eastern daylight time, a Bell 206B Helicopter, N167AG, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near New Salem, North Carolina. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 local aerial agricultural application flight. According to the operator’s lead ground crew member for the spraying missions on the day of the accident, the pilot performed a preflight inspection of the helicopter about 0745 at their local base. After completing a total of 21 spraying loads at the other locations, the team transitioned to the field where the accident occurred. The ground support truck arrived first and was staged near the northwest corner of the field. The ground crew member reported that the helicopter approached the area from the north, overflew the field to be sprayed, then landed on the truck to refill the chemical reservoir. After refilling, he dispatched the helicopter using hand signals. He reported that the helicopter departed to the north, turned left to a southerly heading, and flew along the west side of the field. Shortly thereafter, he heard a pop that he attributed to a [powerline] wire breaking, then he turned around and saw the helicopter travel about 30 yards before impacting the ground. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONExamination of the accident site area revealed damage to powerlines that were oriented south to north. (see Figure 1.) The helicopter was on a north-northwest heading when it struck the wire between poles 1 and 2,
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate visual lookout, which resulted in impact with a powerline.
More accidents in NC
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Browse: North Carolina · 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.
