N206MT

On August 28, 1995, at 1341 Pacific daylight time, a Bell 206BIII helicopter, N206MT, collided with trees following a tail rotor contact to a tree while hovering in the Los Padres National Forest near Carmel Valley, California. The aircraft was owned and operated by West Wind Helicopters, Inc., of Lincoln, California, and was engaged in long line operations in support of drug eradication efforts by the Monterey County Sheriff's Office. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated from a staging area near the site on the day of the accident about 1330 hours.

In a written statement to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors, the pilot reported that he was hovering with a 50-foot-long line over a canyon covered by brush and oak trees. The tail rotor inadvertently contacted a tree. The helicopter began to spin and descended into the trees.