Accident Overview
On May 4, 2019, at about 0945 Pacific daylight time, a Bell 206B helicopter, registration N49643, was destroyed in an accident near Oxnard, California. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The helicopter was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 aerial application flight.
Flight Details
According to the operator, this was the helicopter's third flight of the day but the first carrying a paint material load. During the third pass over greenhouses, the pilot observed that he was using more left cyclic than usual to maintain level flight. He continued the spraying operation in an attempt to correct any load imbalances, but the helicopter began leaning further to the right. The pilot maneuvered away from the greenhouses. The rightward turn continued to increase until the helicopter struck the ground at about a 45-degree bank. A post-impact fire ensued and completely consumed the helicopter.
The helicopter was equipped with two 60-gallon mixture tanks mounted on each side. The tanks were connected via a transfer equalizing tube that fed a centrally located electric pump. The pump then sent the wash through the spray booms. The operator reported a belief that one of the mixture tanks stopped transferring, which would have caused the helicopter to become imbalanced.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident examination of the helicopter did not reveal any anomalies. However, the aircraft was destroyed and mostly consumed by impact and fire-related damage.