Casualties unknown

1998-10-03: Bell 206B (N992SM) — Enterprise Aviation, Inc. — Vernal, UT

Vernal, UT, US

On October 3, 1998, a Bell 206B (registration N992SM) operated by Enterprise Aviation, Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Vernal, UT. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Loss of tail rotor effectiveness. A factor was the quartering tailwind. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archivePrimary reportUpdated 1781061362Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot attempting to land in a strong quartering tailwind due to a passenger's airsickness experienced loss of tail rotor effectiveness and collided with terrain, causing the helicopter to roll over.

Incident Overview

A helicopter was involved in an accident while the pilot attempted to land in a strong quartering tailwind. The decision to land under these conditions was made because the passenger had become air sick. During the landing attempt, the helicopter collided with terrain and rolled over.

Pilot's Account

The pilot reported that the helicopter "was practically in a hover [with] full power applied" when a gust of wind from behind struck the aircraft as the pilot was turning into the wind using left pedal. This caused the helicopter to weather vane. The pilot reacted with full right pedal, at which point the gust either stopped or changed direction, causing the helicopter to weather vane back to the west. The pilot then applied full left pedal and felt buffeting in the controls similar to turbulence. The pilot described the right yaw as so rapid that "I entered loss of tail rotor effectiveness." The collision occurred while the helicopter was still turning.

Passenger's Statement

According to the passenger, the pilot had attempted landings earlier in the day but had experienced difficulty with the wind. After several attempts, the pilot had succeeded in landing on a previous occasion.

Conclusion

The accident sequence involved a strong quartering tailwind, gusty wind conditions, and a loss of tail rotor effectiveness, culminating in a collision with terrain and a rollover. No further details are available from the source.

Investigation report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive. Original record: https://carol.ntsb.gov/event/20001211X11236. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), United States.