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October 18, 2021

Nebraska State Patrol Adds Bell 505 Jet Ranger X to Aviation Support Division

NSP Will Operate A Bell 505, A Bell 407, And 3 Cessna T206H Turbo Stationairs

Bell has signed a Bell 505 purchase agreement with the Nebraska State Patrol. The Bell 505 will join a Bell 407 to aid in daily public safety missions including search and rescue, surveillance, photography, criminal pursuits and apprehension, as well as natural disaster response. “As we approach the third anniversary of the first delivery of the public-safety configured Bell 505, our customer interest from global municipalities continues to grow,” said Jay Ortiz, vice president, Commercial Business, The Americas. “The Bell 505 delivers best in-class capabilities and cost of operations to complete the important mission of law enforcement agencies’

At 40 Knots And 175 Ft AGL, The Helicopter Started To Yaw To The Right

On October 6, 2021, about 1415 central daylight time, a Bell 206B helicopter, N373SP, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Gonzales, Louisiana. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was operated as a public aircraft flight. The pilot of the Louisiana State Police Air Support Unit helicopter reported that while on the downwind leg to land to runway 35 at the Louisiana Regional Airport (REG), Gonzales, Louisiana, he completed the before landing checks. The pilot then reduced the power and began to slow the helicopter to about 60 knots.

AD 2021-20-13 Requires Repetitive Lubrication And Repetitive Detailed Visual Inspections

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier, Inc., Model CL-600-2B16 (604 Variant) airplanes. This AD was prompted by multiple reports of cracking of the main landing gear (MLG) shock strut lower pin. This AD requires repetitive lubrication and repetitive detailed visual inspections (DVI) and non-destructive test (NDT) inspections of the MLG shock strut lower pins, and replacement if necessary. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products. This AD is effective November 18, 2021.