ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 265258
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Wednesday 7 July 2021 |
| Time: | 16:45 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 212 |
| Owner/operator: | Rogers Helicopters Inc |
| Registration: | N911KW |
| MSN: | 30592 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1973 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 14543 hours |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney PT6T-3B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lake Shastina, Siskiyou County, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | Dunsmuir, CA (1O6) |
| Weed , CA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The flight was on an approach to a lake to retrieve water for a water bucket drop operation. During the approach, the instruments scanned normal, and the radar altimeter was set to 200 ft above ground level to provide a buffer between the bucket and terrain. When the helicopter crossed the shoreline, the pilot visually confirmed that the 100-ft long line and bucket were slightly trailing the helicopter and had not dipped in the water. Shortly afterward, he felt a “sudden onset of a significant vibration.' The pilot aborted the water retrieval and noticed that helicopter lost altitude. He applied forward cyclic and raised the collective, but the helicopter continued to descend. The pilot realized that he would not be able to fly out of the descent, so he decided to make a forced water landing. The pilot did not jettison the long line and bucket. After he leveled the helicopter and the skids touched down on the water, he made another attempt to take off, but the helicopter settled into the lake. The pilot reduced both throttle settings to idle in preparation to ditch the helicopter and applied right cyclic as the main rotors slowed. The helicopter rolled right, and the main rotor blades struck the water, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, rotor, and drive systems.
Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies. The airframe examination revealed an out-of-tolerance condition of both pylon damper rod end bearings that likely caused the vibration reported by the pilot. It is likely that, after the lateral vibration, the pilot allowed the helicopter to descend while he tried to determine the source of the vibration. As the helicopter settled into the lake, the bucket filled with water. The resulting increased weight, combined with the pilot's failure to release the water bucket, decreased the helicopter's out-of-ground-effect performance.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain altitude during an approach to a lake. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to release the full water bucket as the helicopter was settling, which reduced the helicopter's out-of-ground-effect performance.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB WPR21LA268
Location
Media:
LAKE SHASTINA HELICOPTER CRASH: Here are a few photos of the aftermath of the fire-fighting helicopter crash yesterday in Lake Shastina. Photo credit: Tom Wetterhttps://t.co/IMQW6sprYh pic.twitter.com/yzXl9ijj06
— Darren Leeds - KRCR News Channel 7 (@DarrenLeedsWx) July 8, 2021
OSPR crew at Lake Shastina, where U.S.F.S helicopter crashed last week while pulling water from for firefighting efforts. Pilot uninjured & investigation ongoing. 200 gallons jet fuel was onboard, but only minimal sheen observed & was contained. No oiled #wildlife observed. pic.twitter.com/IxTHtjdW6R
— CDFW Spill Prevention & Response (@CalSpillWatch) July 10, 2021
UPDATE: Contractors successfully floated and pulled a downed helicopter out of Lake Shastina using an excavator with a high pressure pull line. Containment boom was kept around it as it was towed to shore. No oiled #wildlife observed to date. pic.twitter.com/Uf810kvotS
— CDFW Spill Prevention & Response (@CalSpillWatch) July 11, 2021
VIDEO from yesterday’s helicopter floating and removal from Lake Shastina in Siskiyou County. The aircraft was pulled out of the lake with minimal fuel discharged. No oiled #wildlife observed. pic.twitter.com/PJP8jPZ9wk
— CDFW Spill Prevention & Response (@CalSpillWatch) July 12, 2021
See it: Recovering the firefighting helicopter that made crash landing in Lake Shastina https://t.co/DnSEFmLzc3
— Mount Shasta News (@mtshastanews) July 12, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Jul-2021 03:58 | Geno | Added |
| 08-Jul-2021 05:01 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Phase, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 08-Jul-2021 12:50 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 15-Jul-2021 10:45 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 14-Feb-2022 18:11 | TheGreatCalCom | Updated [Operator, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 12-Nov-2022 01:25 | Ron Averes | Updated [Operator] |
| 30-May-2023 00:40 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Operator]] |
| 01-Jul-2023 07:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [[[Operator]]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation