On 7 Jan 2010, a BELL 206B operated by N127TP, LLC was involved in an aviation accident near Kalispell, MT. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain lateral drift control during landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A student pilot landing a turbine-powered helicopter on a frozen lake with 18-24 inches of snow reported that during the flare, blowing snow reduced visibility, the helicopter drifted right, and as skid depth increased, it rolled over, causing structural damage. No mechanical failures were reported.
Accident Details
A student pilot was landing a turbine-powered helicopter on a frozen lake. The lake surface was covered by 18 to 24 inches of snow. During the landing flare, the pilot experienced reduced visibility due to blowing snow. He reported that the helicopter drifted to the right. As the skids sank deeper into the snow, the depth increased, and the helicopter rolled over. The rollover resulted in structural damage to the airframe.
Pilot Report
The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter. The accident sequence was attributed solely to the conditions encountered during the landing.
Contributing factors
Causes
PilotLateral/bank control — Not attained/maintained