Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Ringgold, Virginia 24586
Sunday, April 8, 2001 9:45 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The pilot/owner prepared to land on an estimated 7 degree slope with the right/uphill skid first. When the right skid made contact with the ground, the helicopter began to rock back and forth longitudinally. The pilot then lifted the helicopter back up into the air, but it nosed forward. To counteract the nose down attitude, the pilot applied aft cyclic, but it did not arrest the situation. The pilot was then concerned about striking trees that were directly in front of him, so he "dropped" the collective to set the helicopter down again. However, the helicopter landed on the front part of the skids, and rolled over onto its nose, and came to rest on its left side. According to Advisory Circular 90-87-Helicopter Dynamic Rollover, "During normal or slope take-offs and landings with the same degree of bank angle or side drift with one skid on the ground, the bank angle or side drift can place the helicopter in a situation where it is pivoting (rolling) about a skid, which is still in contact with the ground. When the uphill slope skid hits the ground, the dynamics of the motion can cause the helicopter to bounce off the upslope skid, and the inertia can cause the helicopter to roll about the downslope ground contact point and over onto its side. The collective should not be pulled suddenly to get airborne, as a large and abrupt rolling moment in the opposite direction will result. This movement can be uncontrollable. If the helicopter develops a roll rate with one skid on the ground, the helicopter can roll over on its side." The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
pilot's failure to properly control the helicopter during a slope landing, which resulted in a dynamic rollover.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/8/2001 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 945 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | Ringgold |
| Event State | VIRGINIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 24586 |
| Event Date Year | 2001 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| 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 | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1456 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 230 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | DAN |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 572 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 3 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 5 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 20 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 14 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 200 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.11 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 1302 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 2 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 11213 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Eastern Region Comm Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 8 2001 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1111 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 18 2001 1:05PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | RICHMOND FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N17HA |
| NTSB Number | IAD01LA041 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Bell |
| Aircraft Model | BH-206-B |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 2003 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3200 |
| 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 | 5 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Dec 22 2000 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 94 |
| Airframe Hours | 16710 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | WILFRED L. HUSSEY |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | MARTINSVILLE |
| Aircraft Owner State | VA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 24112 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | DAN |
| Departure City | DANVILLE |
| Departure State | VA |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 930 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | NONE |
| Destination City | RINGGOLD |
| Destination State | VA |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 22 2001 3:47PM |
| User who most recently changed record | PEAR |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | -- |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |