Bell Textron Canada Ltd 505 accident near Fort Myers, FL
On October 8, 2022, a Bell Textron Canada Ltd 505 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Fort Myers, FL. 4 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 8, 2022
- Place
- Fort Myers, FL
- Aircraft
- Bell Textron Canada Ltd 505 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 4 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 26.513°N, 81.937°W
- NTSB ID
- 20221009106087
Official records · ERA23LA011
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 8, 2022, about 1802 eastern daylight time, a Bell 505 helicopter, N5DF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Fort Myers, Florida. The private pilot and three passengers received serious injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot, through his attorney, reported that he was approaching a landing zone (LZ) at Fire Station 75 in Fort Myers to drop off passengers. About 150 ft above the ground, he noticed flags near the LZ and elected to go around to make another approach to better align with the light wind. He added power to initiate the go around and suddenly there was a “bump and dip” in the tail which was immediately followed by severe and massive vibration and shaking of the helicopter, with an uncommanded left yaw. The helicopter then pitched up and rolled violently. The pilot was unable to regain control and the helicopter impacted the ground near the LZ, in a ditch. There was no fire. The left, rear seat passenger video-recorded the final portion of the flight with a personal electronic device. The video was analyzed by a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Onboard Image Recorder Group on November 15, 2022. About 43 seconds elapsed time (00:43) into the video, the helicopter was observed proceeding toward the accident site. The wind was generally out of the northeast, blowing toward the southwest. About 00:57, the camera panned inside the cockpit. The cockpit instruments appeared normal with no indication of an anomaly or malfunction. Th
Probable cause
The pilot’s execution of a landing approach with a right, quartering tailwind, low forward airspeed, and high power demand that, when combined, resulted in a loss of tail rotor effectiveness and helicopter control.
More accidents in FL
- Grumman G-73T, Dec 19, 2005
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Browse: Florida
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
