Bell UH1H accident near Payson, AZ
On July 7, 2020, a Bell UH1H (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Payson, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 7, 2020
- Place
- Payson, AZ
- Aircraft
- Bell UH1H · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.272°N, 111.528°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200707X72533
Official records · WPR20LA211
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 7, 2020, about 1213 mountain standard time, a Bell/Garlick UH-1H helicopter, N623PB, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Payson, Arizona. The pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 external load flight. The helicopter was owned by Airwest Helicopters LLC and operated by the United States Forest Service (USFS) at the time of the accident supporting firefighting efforts against the Polles Fire in the Tonto National Forest about 11 nautical miles (nm) west of Payson. The fire was accessible only by helicopter due to the rugged terrain, and ground crews were largely dependent on helicopters for transportation and support. According to witnesses, the helicopter was transporting supplies externally using a 100-ft-long line and cargo nets for a USFS hotshot firefighting crew that was repositioning on the ground. The pilot transported three loads from site H2 to site H5 uneventfully before the accident and was using an indirect route to the north to avoid a fire area. (See Figure 1.) While transporting the fourth load, witnesses observed the helicopter begin to fly erratically when it reached a plateau while enroute to its destination. During this time, a witness stated that he observed the helicopter enter a high nose-up pitch attitude, and the external payload began to swing. The helicopter then displayed irregular movements for several seconds before the external payload settled and the helicopter appeared to stabilize. However, after about 3 seconds, multiple witnesses
Probable cause
A flight control malfunction due to either a hydraulic hardover or a flight control stiffness event, which resulted in a loss of control.
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.
