Sunday, September 17, 2017

Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III, registered to LIN Television Corporation and operated by WQRE, TV 13 as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 business fight, N213TV: Fatal accident occurred September 16, 2017 in Ancho, Lincoln County, New Mexico

The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Albuquerque, New Mexico
Rolls-Royce Corporation; Indianapolis, Indiana
Bell Helicopters; Hurst, Texas

Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf


Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms

http://registry.faa.gov/N213TV

Location: Ancho, NM
Accident Number: CEN17FA355
Date & Time: 09/16/2017, 1635 MDT
Registration: N213TV
Aircraft: BELL 206L 3
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Business 

On September 16, 2017, about 1635 mountain daylight time, a Bell 206L-3 helicopter, N213TV, impacted terrain near Ancho, New Mexico. The pilot, sole occupant, was fatally injured, and the helicopter was destroyed. The helicopter was registered to LIN Television Corporation, Providence, Rhode Island, and operated by WQRE, TV 13, Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 business fight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which originated about 1554 from Roswell International Air Center Airport (ROW), Roswell, New Mexico, destined for Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The day before the accident the pilot had previously flown from ABQ to ROW to conduct a news story in the Carlsbad, New Mexico area, and then spent the night in Roswell before the return flight.

A person located near the accident site reported that he saw smoke and drove over to investigate. The person found the helicopter wreckage and notified local authorities of the crash. He did not know the time of the crash, but speculated that it happened between 1600 and 1700.

A Garmin Aera 796 GPS unit was found at the accident site. A review of the flight track from the GPS unit, revealed that the helicopter departure and northwest heading towards Albuquerque. The flight track was a straight line and started at a GPS altitude of 3,681 ft. For about the last 5 minutes of the flight track, the helicopter's GPS altitude varied between 6,200 and 6,456 ft, the last recorded altitude. The ground elevation and surrounding terrain near the accident site varied between 6,000 and 6,400 ft; the elevation at the initial impact point was 6,330 ft. The last recorded data showed the helicopter about 1.5 nm from the accident site. 

Pilot Information

Certificate: Commercial
Age: 64
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Right
Other Aircraft Rating(s): Helicopter
Restraint Used: Unknown
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No 
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: Yes 
Medical Certification: Class 2 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 04/06/2017
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: 8800 hours (Total, all aircraft)

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single and multiengine land and instrument airplane ratings, a commercial rotorcraft certificate with a helicopter rating, and a flight instructor certificate for rotorcraft helicopter. He also held a remote pilot certificate. His second-class Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certificate was issued on April 6, 2017, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses and have glasses available for near vision. At the time of the medical examination, the pilot reported that he had a total of 8,800 flight hours, and 150 hours of which were in the previous 6 months.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: BELL
Registration: N213TV
Model/Series: 206L 3 L3
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
Year of Manufacture: 1989
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 51298
Landing Gear Type:Skid; 
Seats:
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 06/06/2017, AAIP
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 4150 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Turbo Shaft
Airframe Total Time: 8798.7 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: ALLISON
ELT:
Engine Model/Series: 250-C30 SER
Registered Owner: LIN TELEVISION CORP
Rated Power: 650 hp
Operator: WQRE News 13
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

The helicopter was a Bell 206L-3, which has a two-bladed main rotor system and was powered by a single Allison (Rolls-Royce) 250-C30P turboshaft engine. A review of the helicopter's maintenance records revealed that the helicopter was maintained under the manufacturer's maintenance inspection program and that its last inspection was completed on June 6, 2017. At the time of the inspection, the helicopter had 8,798.7 total flight hours, and the engine had 7,956.1 hours and 7,623 cycles.

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KABQ 
Distance from Accident Site:
Observation Time: 2252 UTC
Direction from Accident Site: 
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 12000 ft agl
Visibility:  10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 7 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: /
Wind Direction: 180°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: /
Altimeter Setting: 30.06 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 27°C / 3°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Roswell, NM (KROW)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Albuquerque, NM (KABQ)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1553 MDT
Type of Airspace:

There were no weather reporting stations in the vicinity of the accident site.

The closest automated weather observation station to the accident site located at ROW, 69 nm east-southeast, at 1551, reported wind from the northeast at 3 mph, 10 miles visibility, a partly cloudy sky, temperature 71° F, dew point 544° F, and an altimeter setting of 26.30 inches of mercury (Hg).

The automated weather observation station located at ABQ, 80 nm northwest of the accident site, at 1552 reported wind from the east-southeast at 9 mph, 10 miles visibility, a partly cloudy sky, temperature 66° F, dew point 49° F, and an altimeter setting of 24.70 inches of mercury.

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 33.911944, -105.526944 

The on-scene examination of the wreckage found the helicopter impacted flat terrain in open ranch land. Ground scars and signatures were consistent with a slight, nose-low impact with terrain; television equipment, mounted on the bottom of the helicopter, was found near the initial impact point. The wreckage path from the initial impact point to the main wreckage was about 300 ft long on a 293° heading. All the of the helicopter's major components were located at the wreckage site. The distance from ROW to KAB is about 147 miles on a 315° heading.

Various helicopter pieces were found along, and on either side of the wreckage path, including fractured sections of the landing gear skids, left door, anti-torque pedals, and pieces of the bottom fuselage. The forward cross skid tube was found just beyond the initial impact point. The aft cross skid tube was found slightly right of, and about 200 ft beyond, the main wreckage. The main wreckage consisted of most of the main cabin, which was mostly consumed by fire, and the rotor system, including the engine, that exhibited heavy fire damage. The vertical fin was found about 40 ft left of the main wreckage.

Both of the main rotor blades remained attached to the main rotor hub and exhibited fractured spars outboard of the outboard doubler, consistent with overload forces. One blade exhibited a spanwise bend opposite the direction of rotation. The other blade's outboard section remained connected to its inboard section by a bent trailing edge strip. The blade spar was also bent about 3 ft from the tip, and the tip was damaged. The main hydraulic servos located on the cabin roof were relatively intact and exhibited fire sooting and impact damage. Control connections from the input lever arms to the servo valve inputs were intact for all three main rotor servos. The flight controls between the cockpit and the servos were consumed by fire; therefore, control continuity to the main rotor or tail rotor controls could not be confirmed. Pieces of fractured control tubes, consistent with overload forces, along with melted remnants of control tubes were found. The cyclic control stick, was found fractured with two large pieces and located in the wreckage path.

The tail rotor controls exhibited extensive impact and fire damage. Both sets of rotor pedals had separated from the airframe and were found near the beginning of the wreckage path. Most of the fuel system was consumed by fire. The boost pump plate and boost pumps had separated from the airframe belly structure due to impact forces and were found in the wreckage path, prior to the main wreckage.

The turboshaft engine exhibited heavy impact and fire damage. The engine had separated from its engine mounts and remained attached to the airframe by two oil lines. Several blades on the 1st-stage compressor exhibited impact damage to the leading edge and was bent in the opposite the direction of rotation. N1 and N2 drive continuity was established.

The examinations of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures. 

Medical And Pathological Information

The Office of the Medical Investigator, Albuquerque, New Mexico, conducted an autopsy on the pilot. The cause of death was determined to be blunt trauma.

The FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, conducted toxicological testing. The testing was negative for ethanol and tested drugs. The specimens were not tested for cyanide and carbon monoxide.

Additional Information

The pilot's cell phone was recovered at the accident site.


Phone records for the date of the accident were obtained. A review of the records revealed that the pilot placed a call at 1607; the call lasted only 3 seconds. About 1612, the pilot repeated the telephone call, which was to a car rental agency, this time the call lasted for 1 minute and 47 seconds. The agency employee was interviewed by an FAA inspector several days after the accident. The clerk reported that she remembered the call well, and that she knew the pilot, because he often rented a car from the agency. She added that she could not tell that he was in a helicopter but that he seemed "busy or distracted." She added that, as they were talking about a future rental and was in "mid-sentence," when the call was disconnected.

NTSB Identification: CEN17FA355
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, September 16, 2017 in Ancho, NM
Aircraft: BELL 206L 3, registration: N213TV
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On September 16, 2017 about 1630 mountain daylight time, a Bell 206L-3 helicopter N213TV, impacted terrain near Ancho, New Mexico. The commercial rated pilot was fatally injured and the helicopter was destroyed. The helicopter was registered to LIN Television Corporation, Providence, Rhode Island, and operated by WQRE, TV 13, Albuquerque, New Mexico, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a business fight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. 

The initial report indicated that the pilot had flown to the Carlsbad area, to conduct a news story. The pilot spent the night there and was on the return flight. A person, located near a cattle ranch, saw smoke and drove over to investigate. The person then notified authorities of the crash.

The on-site examination of the wreckage revealed the helicopter impacted in open ranch land. Ground scars and signatures were consistent with a slight nose low impact with terrain, with wreckage spread along path, several hundred feet in length. All major components were located at the wreckage site. A post-crash fire consumed the major of the main cabin wreckage.

After the initial on-site documentation of the wreckage, the helicopter was recovered to a secure facility, for further examination.




Robert “Bob” Martin.

Helicopters, planes, hot air balloons, sky-diving or scuba gear – if it could take him into the clouds, or below the waves, into glorious places full of wonders to photograph and stories to tell, Bob found a way to master it. Bob died Saturday, September 16, 2017, when Albuquerque’s KRQE Sky News 13 helicopter he was piloting home from Roswell, NM crashed.

Born in San Antonio on June 28, 1953, but landing in Socorro as a 10th grader when his parents both took teaching jobs there, Bob became a devoted New Mexican. As a teenager, he was a member of FFA, raising sheep and growing alfalfa, putting every cent he earned into learning how to fly. He graduated from Socorro High and then went on to get his journalism degree at Eastern NMU in Portales. His first broadcast job was doing the farm report for a local radio station. That led to larger assignments. In the late 1970’s, Bob went to Washington D.C. to cover the farm protests. He realized that storytelling through journalism, was his calling in life and that he could combine his love of flight with his passion for showing and telling the stories of the people of New Mexico. After his start at KBIM-TV in Roswell, Bob worked for more than 40 years as a journalist in New Mexico, spending nearly all his career at KRQE (formerly KGGM) as a news reporter, photographer, and pilot. Bob’s aerial shots of wildfires, flooding, and other natural disasters showed the impact on the people and lands involved with immediacy and impact. He knew that every story of a disaster was a personal story for someone. Bob showed his viewers the real life going on all around them every day in the state he loved. He covered Friday night football in the small towns across the state where entire communities came together on fall evenings to cheer and support their teams.  An avid student of New Mexico history, Bob flew over the Camino Real with his wife, Marilyn, showing her the ruts carved in the desert by the explorers and settlers that traveled north from Mexico hundreds of years ago. They explored every corner of the state by air and on the ground, as his love of history led him to weave stories of the past into life in the present.  And sometimes his stories were life-changing. When the New Mexico National Guardsmen were deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11, Bob secured funding from CBS to let him bring the stories of those stationed overseas back to their families in every town in New Mexico. He showed luminarias leading to the entrance to a tent in the desert in Afghanistan where the New Mexico Guardsmen were stationed – a touch of Christmas that meant something only to New Mexicans, showing the bond between those overseas and at home. He reported from the ground in tour after tour where sons, daughters, husbands, wives, parents in uniform risked their lives in war zones, bringing those stories of individuals back to New Mexico, bringing comfort and news to their families. When the Guard returned to Springer, NM, and the entire town turned out to welcome them home, Bob was by the roadside, shooting video for his news report. When some of the servicemen in the parade spotted him, they started shouting, “It’s Bob! Bob Martin!” and began cheering him. He had been their lifeline home so many times through his reporting – their faces, their stories. He loved traveling with his wife, never without a camera, and sharing the wonders of New Zealand, Iceland, Nova Scotia and other destinations both foreign and domestic. They also traveled to the Pacific Northwest every year, for many years in Bob’s private plane, and reveled in the adventure of the spectacular views that can only really be appreciated from the windows of a small plane. He gave of his time creatively and generously in so many ways: he worked on safety manuals and training for helicopter pilots, organizing an annual statewide safety conference that is among the best attended in the country. He developed the drone-use program for KRQE from its infancy; he covered the emerging Spaceport in central New Mexico, championing science, research, and mentoring in every part of his life. He weighed every single word, and every image to create the very best story that he could.

Bob is survived by his wife, Marilyn Painter; his father, Dan Martin; brothers, Keith Martin (Val), Bill Martin, and Scott Martin (Sheree); nephews and nieces, Daniel, Kathleen (daughter Maddie), Shelby, Nicholle, Chelsea; and lifelong family friends, Jan and Curtis Jenkins; Marilyn’s family, mother Jo Painter; sister, Suzanne Painter (Keith Wetzel); brother, Jan Painter (Tara); nieces, Martha Wetzel, Deanne and Dana Painter. His mother, Bettye Martin, predeceased him.

A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, September 23, 2017, 10:00 a.m. at Desert Springs Church, 705 Osuna Rd. NE, Albuquerque . The family requests attendees refrain from wearing black (unless it’s your favorite color).


In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bob’s name to the New Mexico National Guard-Reserve Assistance Fund, P.O. Box 5335, Albuquerque, NM 87185 (or veterans’ non-profit of your choice), or to Doctors Without Borders (www.doctorswithoutborders.org). Donations to any of these organizations in his name would honor the fact that Bob cared about ordinary, humble people in any country whose lives were being torn apart by war. In addition, Eastern New Mexico University is setting up a scholarship in Bob’s name; contributions may be made by contacting the ENMU Foundation (http://www.enmu.edu/about/enmu-foundation). Bob’s death leaves a huge hole in the hearts of his families, friends, and New Mexicans. He will be missed.


Robert Franklin Martin 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A longtime reporter-videographer at an Albuquerque TV station has died after the news helicopter he was piloting crashed in central New Mexico, authorities said Sunday.

Bob Martin, 64, was pronounced dead at the crash scene Saturday night, according to New Mexico State Police.

KRQE-TV said Martin worked for the station for more than 20 years, frequently shooting, writing and editing stories. It was not immediately clear whether Martin was headed to cover a story when the crash happened.

"He was behind, or above, some of the biggest news stories on KRQE for the last three decades," station manager Bill Anderson said in a statement. "Yet he was rarely around for the high fives because he was already on to the next news story."

KRQE said the helicopter crashed about 4:30 p.m. Saturday in rugged terrain north of Carrizozo, about 150 miles southeast of Albuquerque.

State Police said it was notified of a downed aircraft shortly after 5 p.m. and found the remnants of the helicopter and its sole occupant.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were investigating the cause of the crash, police said.

Martin graduated from New Mexico's Socorro High School and earned a mass communications and journalism degree at Eastern New Mexico University, KRQE said.

Martin often covered wildfires. He won two Rocky Mountain Emmys and several Albuquerque Press Club awards for his reporting and documentary work, the station said.

Martin also reported from combat zones about New Mexico-based military troops and civilians deployed to hotspots including Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Panama, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

Martin was a commercial helicopter and airplane pilot, had an expert sport skydiver's license and enjoyed scuba diving.

KRQE did not immediately provide details about Martin's survivors or funeral plans.


http://www.newsday.com

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A longtime reporter-videographer at an Albuquerque TV station has died after the news helicopter he was piloting crashed in central New Mexico, authorities said Sunday.

Bob Martin, 64, was pronounced dead at the crash scene Saturday night, according to New Mexico State Police.

KRQE-TV said Martin worked for the station for more than 20 years, frequently shooting, writing and editing stories. It was not immediately clear whether Martin was headed to cover a story when the crash happened.

“Here at KRQE, we all had great respect for Bob and cherished his friendship,” the station said on its website Sunday morning.

KRQE said the helicopter crashed about 4:30 p.m. Saturday in rugged terrain north of Carrizozo, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of Albuquerque.

State Police said it was notified of a downed aircraft shortly after 5 p.m. and found the remnants of the helicopter and with its sole occupant.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were investigating the cause of the crash, police said.

Martin graduated from New Mexico’s Socorro High School and earned a mass communications and journalism degree at Eastern New Mexico University, KRQE said.

Martin often covered wildfires. He won two Rocky Mountain Emmys and several Albuquerque Press Club awards for his reporting and documentary work, the station said.

Martin also reported from combat zones about New Mexico-based military troops and civilians deployed to hotspots including Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Panama, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

Martin was a commercial helicopter and airplane pilot, had an expert sport skydiver’s license and enjoyed scuba diving.

KRQE did not immediately provide details about Martin’s survivors or funeral plans.

Original article can be found here ➤ http://wtop.com


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A longtime reporter at an Albuquerque TV station has died after the news helicopter he was piloting crashed in central New Mexico, authorities said Sunday.

Bob Martin, 64, was pronounced dead at the crash scene Saturday night, according to New Mexico State Police.

KRQE-TV said Martin worked for the station for more than 20 years, frequently shooting, writing and editing stories. It wasn’t immediately clear if Martin was headed to cover a story at the time of the crash.

“Here at KRQE, we all had great respect for Bob and cherished his friendship,” the station said on its website Sunday morning.

KRQE said the helicopter crashed about 4:30 p.m. Saturday in rugged terrain north of Carrizozo, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of Albuquerque.

State Police said it was notified of a downed aircraft shortly after 5 p.m. and found the remnants of the helicopter along with its sole occupant.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were investigating the cause of the crash, police said.

Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.therepublic.com

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a fatal helicopter crash in New Mexico.

State Police have confirmed that it is our KRQE news helicopter and our pilot and friend Bob Martin.

The crash occurred north of Carrizozo around 4:30 p.m., Saturday.

Here at KRQE we all had great respect for Bob and cherished his friendship.

Our thoughts are with Bob’s family.

Original article can be found here ➤ http://krqe.com

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