Individually Owned: 151,845
Corporate Owned: 143,699
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Mimbres, New Mexico 88049
Tuesady, July 12, 1994 15:05 MDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED BY THE USDA TO TRANSPORT FIRE FIGHTERS TO A FIRE. THE TWO SURVIVORS STATED THAT FOLLOWING A DOWNWIND APPROACH TO A PINNACLE ON A 9,520-FT MSL RIDGE LINE, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO BRING THE HELICOPTER TO A HOVER ABOUT 20 FT ABOVE THE LANDING AREA. THE NOSE OF THE HELICOPTER APPEARED HIGHER THAN NORMAL DURING THE FINAL PHASE OF THE APPROACH. THE HELICOPTER THEN ASSUMED A VERY HIGH NOSE ATTITUDE AND APPEARED TO START SLIDING BACKWARDS, FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF CONTROL AND CONTACT WITH TREES. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS 13,200 FT. THE AIRCRAFT WEIGHT WAS CALCULATED TO HAVE BEEN 3,750 POUNDS. UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF NO WIND, 9,520 FT PRESSURE ALTITUDE, AND 32 DEG C, THE MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT FOR HOVER IN AND OUT OF GROUND EFFECT WAS COMPUTED TO BE 3,580 AND 3,515 LBS RESPECTIVELY.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER DECISION TO ATTEMPT TO HOVER OUT OF GROUND EFFECT UNDER ADVERSE CONDITIONS WHILE EXCEEDING THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE WEIGHT FOR THAT MANEUVER. FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE: HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE AND THE TAILWIND.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/12/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1505 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Daylight Time |
| Event City | MIMBRES |
| Event State | NEW MEXICO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 88049 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Witness |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 32 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 135 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 8 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 13200 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 5 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1244 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 12 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2130 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 25 2006 3:59PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\ZUZL |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N3178B |
| NTSB Number | FTW94GA232 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Public Use |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | Company VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BELL |
| Aircraft Model | 206L-3 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 206L-3 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 51033 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 4150 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jul 5 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 29 |
| Airframe Hours | 4479 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | BRILES WING AND HELICOPTERS |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 699 |
| Aircraft Owner City | MEDFORD |
| Aircraft Owner State | OR |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 97501 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | USDA FOREST SERVICE |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 3005 CAMINO DEL BOSQUE |
| Operator City | SILVER CITY |
| Operator State | NM |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 88061 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Unknown |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Unknown |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Unknown |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Public Use |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1447 |
| Departure Time Zone | MST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Hover |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 22 2001 3:26PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |