On January 7, 2007, a Bell 206B (registration N1882) operated by Idaho Helicopters was involved in an aviation accident near Boise, ID. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot failed to see tall brush behind and to the right of the helicopter, which caught the snow pad during a pedal-turn, resulting in a dynamic rollover. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 10 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A helicopter performing deer herding flights experienced a dynamic rollover when its snow pad caught tall brush during a pedal-turn, according to the pilot who admitted failing to see the brush.
Incident Overview
A pilot completed two local deer herding flights and landed the helicopter, waiting approximately five minutes for the ground crew to prepare for another herding flight. At the start of the third flight, the pilot lifted off into a hover and initiated a pedal-turn into the wind before entering translational lift. During the turn, the snow pad on one of the helicopter's skids caught in tall brush about six feet high, located behind and to the right of the aircraft. This led to a dynamic rollover into the terrain.
Pilot Statement
The pilot reported that the helicopter's flight controls functioned normally and attributed the accident to his failure to see the tall brush behind and to the right of the helicopter.
Probable cause
The pilot failed to see tall brush behind and to the right of the helicopter, which caught the snow pad during a pedal-turn, resulting in a dynamic rollover.