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Incidents→🇺🇸 United States→2009-04-17
Incident report

Bell 206 crash near West Palm Beach, FL, United States

unknown2009-04-17
Summary

According to the pilot, he landed the helicopter in a swampy area adjacent to a pier, then water-taxied close to the pier to allow his passenger to disembark. The pilot was aware of tall PVC pipes near the tail rotor. After the passenger stepped out onto the pier, the pilot maneuvered the helicopter by sliding it to the right, with the intention of then turning into the wind and departing. As the helicopter was sliding, the left float began to lift up, and he corrected with full left cyclic. The helicopter continued to slide to the right; it then rolled onto its right side, resulting in substantial damage to the main rotor blades. The pilot reported that wet mud may have accumulated around the right float and a dynamic rollover occurred. The pilot reported surface winds from the northeast at 15 to 20 knots, with gusts to 25 knots. He reported no mechanical problems with the helicopter.

Incident details
Date
2009-04-17
Location
West Palm Beach, FL, United States
Aircraft
Registration
N25PM
Operator type
civil
Fatalities
0
Injuries
0
Probable cause
Weather
VMC
Source
NTSB ↗
26.7154, -80.0533
Quick stats
Severityunknown
Fatalities0
Injuries0
SourceNTSB
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