Accident · 1996-09-04

What the record says

Event date

1996-09-04

Event type

Accident

Highest injury level

Minor injury

Aircraft

Bell 206L-3 (N253EV)

Operating rule

Part 91

Operator

U.S. FOREST SERVICE Operator named in NTSB report

Operated by (per NTSB report)

U.S. FOREST SERVICE

Probable cause

the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision, concerning maneuvers to position the helicopter for aerial application; and inadvertent loss of tail rotor effectiveness, which resulted in loss of directional control and subsequent collision with the terrain. Factors relating to the accident include unfavorable weather conditions (high wind, gusts, turbulence, smoke, and high density altitude); the pilot's lack of recent experience in type of operation, and the lack of suitable terrain for a safe autorotation.

Flight crew

Flight-crew details for this event aren't in the NTSB database extract we hold (its coverage starts with 2008 events) — a gap in our data, not an absence of crew.