2020 Bell UH-1H Helicopter Accident Near Payson, Arizona (N623PB)

Accident Overview and Flight History On July 7, 2020, at approximately 1213 mountain standard time, a Bell/Garlick UH-1H helicopter, registration N623PB, was destroyed in an accident near Payson, Arizona. The helicopter was owned by Airwest Helicopters LLC and operated by the United States Forest Service (USFS) in support of firefighting efforts for the Polles Fire in the Tonto National Forest, located about 11 nautical miles west of Payson. The pilot was fatally injured. The aircraft was conducting a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 external load flight, transporting supplies using a 100-foot-long line and cargo nets for a USFS hotshot firefighting crew repositioning on the ground. Witnesses reported that the pilot had successfully transported three loads from site H2 to site H5 before the accident. During the fourth load, the helicopter began to fly erratically upon reaching a plateau. Witnesses observed the aircraft enter a high nose-up pitch attitude with the external payload swinging. After a brief period of stabilization, the helicopter wobbled and banked erratically before entering a steep nose-up attitude and descending rapidly to the ground. Two witnesses noted the helicopter twisting to the right during the descent. No fire was observed during the flight, and the pilot did not report anomalies over assigned radio frequencies.