Summary
On August 18, 2016, a Bell 206 L4 (N7898X) was involved in an incident near Broussard, LA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's failure to attain a proper touchdown point, which resulted in the helicopter sliding off the aft end of the transport dolly.
According to the pilot of the skid-equipped helicopter, he was practicing landing on an 18 foot by 18 foot transport dolly. The pilot reported that during his second landing on the dolly, he landed on the aft end of the dolly and the helicopter slid backwards. He recalled that he heard and felt a thump, pulled pitch, and the helicopter ascended about 5 feet, yawed to the right and he initiated an autorotation and landed.
This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA16CA439. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N7898X.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to attain a proper touchdown point, which resulted in the helicopter sliding off the aft end of the transport dolly.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
According to the pilot of the skid-equipped helicopter, he was practicing landing on an 18 foot by 18 foot transport dolly. The pilot reported that during his second landing on the dolly, he landed on the aft end of the dolly and the helicopter slid backwards. He recalled that he heard and felt a thump, pulled pitch, and the helicopter ascended about 5 feet, yawed to the right and he initiated an autorotation and landed. He reported that the bottom of the skids showed scrape marks, "so I must have slid back off the dolly and hit the tail stinger." The tailboom and the vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage.
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with any portion of the helicopter during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operations.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA16CA439