N205KS – BELL UH 1H – 2018-01-12 NTSB Accident Report

On January 12, 2018, a Bell UH 1H (N205KS) was involved in an incident near Van Nuys, CA. 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 maintain clearance from a stationary helicopter during landing. Contributing to the accident was the ground crew’s failure to ensure that the helicopter would clear the stationary helicopter.

The pilot reported that, while hovering the helicopter to park between three stationary helicopters, he had been given the signal for a 180 degree "pedal turn" by the ground crew. As the helicopter was about to touchdown, he felt a shudder in the airframe, immediately rolled the throttle closed, and completed an emergency shutdown.

A post-accident examination revealed that the tail rotor blades struck the main blades of a stationary helicopter.

The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor and main rotor systems.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA18CA107. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N205KS.