Accident Overview
On May 2, 2017, about 1815 eastern daylight time, a Bell 206B helicopter, registration N911GE, sustained substantial damage during firefighting operations near Orange Springs, Florida. The helicopter, operated by the Marion County Sheriff's Office as a public-use aircraft, was under the command of a commercial pilot who was the sole occupant. The pilot sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which had departed Ocala International Airport in Ocala, Florida, about 1500.
Sequence of Events
According to the Aviation Unit Commander and the pilot, the pilot was using a Bambi Bucket® firefighting bucket and had completed between 25 and 30 drops on the fire zone. He landed at a nearby landing zone, refueled, and then completed 3 or 4 additional drops before the accident occurred. After lowering the bucket into water and filling it, he pulled the bucket from the water and immediately felt "a severely out of CG condition to the right." He assumed that the bucket cables were entangled in the right landing skid, so he released the water from the bucket. The condition persisted, prompting him to rock the helicopter in an attempt to free the cable, but this was unsuccessful. He then released the cable using the cargo release button. He heard the typical "clunk" sound associated with releasing the bucket, followed by another "clunk." The helicopter then began to spin violently and crashed into the water. The pilot freed himself from the cockpit, inflated his personal flotation device, and swam to shore. He used his cell phone to call for assistance and was rescued by first responders.
Pilot Report and Examination
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the helicopter. An examination of the wreckage revealed cable marks on the right rear landing skid tube, approximately 6 inches in length. Additionally, a torsional fracture of the tail rotor short shaft was observed.