14 CFR Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
Accident occurred Monday, November 14, 2011 in Woodburn, OR
Probable Cause Approval Date: 09/13/2012
Aircraft: BELL 206B, registration: N16HA
Injuries: 1 Serious.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot was using the helicopter to lift bundles of Christmas trees from a field to a loading zone with a 25-foot-long steel line. Shortly after one of the bundles was picked up, it came apart and fell from the line. As the pilot repositioned the helicopter to reattach the bundle, the line became snagged on an obstacle on the ground. He immediately reached for the line release switch, but the line did not detach, likely because he did not make positive contact with the switch. Before he could activate the manual backup release switch, the helicopter pitched down, descended, and collided with terrain. Postaccident examination of the primary and backup release systems revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Because the helicopter was no more than 25 feet above ground level when the line snagged, even a successful activation of the line release switch may not have prevented the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot’s failure to maintain ground clearance while maneuvering with an external load line.
On November 14, 2011, about 1430 Pacific standard time a Bell 206B, N16HA, collided with terrain during an external load operation near Woodburn, Oregon. Applebee Aviation was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 133. The commercial pilot was seriously injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage and tail boom during the accident sequence. The local flight departed from a road in Oregon City, Oregon, about 2 hours prior to the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot reported that he was lifting bundles of Christmas trees from a field to a loading zone, utilizing a 25-foot-long steel line. Shortly after lifting a load, the bundle came apart and fell from the line. The pilot then lowered the helicopter so ground personable could reattach the bundle, but they had already moved to the next bundle of trees. The pilot then raised the helicopter, and as he did, the line became snagged on an obstacle on the ground. The pilot immediately reached for the line release switch, but the line did not detach. The helicopter pitched down, descended, and collided with terrain. The pilot could not definitively confirm that the release system failed, stating it was possible that he did not make positive contact with the release switch. He further stated that he did not have enough time to engage the manual backup release system.
An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) examined the helicopter at the accident site. He inspected both the electrically operated release mechanism, and the manual backup release system. No anomalies were found that would have precluded normal operation.
Photo courtesy Marion County Sheriff's Office
Photo courtesy Marion County Sheriff's Office
Photo courtesy Marion County Sheriff's Office
Photo courtesy Marion County Sheriff's Office
A helicopter crashed at a Christmas tree farm north of Woodburn this afternoon, sending the pilot to a Portland hospital.
Marion County deputies received a call reporting the crash at 2:42 p.m. at the farm, located in the 10000 block of Crosby Road N.E., said Don Thomson, a sheriff's office spokesman.
Emergency workers found the 1981 Bell 206 helicopter lying on its side in a field of trees, Thomson said. The 39-year-old Seattle pilot was the only occupant, and was transported via LifeFlight helicopter to OHSU Hospital in Portland.
The pilot's condition was not known. Witnesses told investigators he was hauling trees when the helicopter crashed to the ground, Thomson said. The pilot was able to climb from the wreckage.
No other injuries were reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration arrived on the scene at 4:30 p.m. and is heading the investigation. The pilot's name will be released at the end of the FFA investigation, Thomson said.
WOODBURN, Ore. - A helicopter pilot was injured when his aircraft crashed in a Christmas tree field north of Woodburn on Monday afternoon.
The 39-year-old Seattle man was piloting a helicopter that was shuttling Christmas trees.
The crash happened in an area that is difficult to access. Medics from the Woodburn Fire Department had to park and hike into the area.
The call reporting the crash at 10789 Crosby Road NE came in around 2:40 p.m. Deputies first arrived to find the Bell 206 helicopter lying on its side.
There is no word yet on the identity of the man. He was flown by LifeFlight to a Portland hospital. It's not known how badly he was hurt, although witnesses said he was able to climb out of the helicopter under his own power.
They said the aircraft was hauling trees when it suddenly came crashing down.
There was nobody else in the helicopter and people on the ground were not hurt.
The cause of the crash is unknown at this time. Federal Aviation Administration investigators are working to figure out what went wrong.
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