Three On Board, All Walk Away
"They're a flying machine. When they hit the
ground, things can happen. A lot of times, people don't walk away."
--Rich Westra, Pilot, KMGH Television, Denver (CO)
Thursday evening, Westra and two others on board, however, did
walk away when their Bell 206 Long-Ranger IV went down in what the
FAA tentatively describes as a "training accident."
"The team had just completed a live-shot for Channel 7 and were
practicing auto-rotations near the Aurora Reservoir. "It's a
maneuver that everybody practices time and time and time again. The
outcome is not supposed to be like this," Westra told KUSA
Television.
Check Pilot At Controls
Westra said, with Smith at the controls, the crew
continued practicing autorotations. After approximately ten
minutes, he said, Smith simulated an autorotation to within between
five and ten feet above the ground. "We were practicing an engine
failure, and it went awry at termination," Westra said. "It was not
weather-related or mechanical-related."
The aircraft was leased to KMGH-TV by Helicopters, Inc., based
at Centennial Airport just south of Denver (CO). Aside from Westra,
mechanic Ron Orndoff and check pilot Paul Smith were on board.
Smith is described as the "standardization" pilot at Helicopters,
Inc. Smith was taken to a nearby hospital for a minor head injury
suffered in the incident.
"Was I scared or afraid? I was concerned about a
post-crash fire," Westra said. "I had been flying the entire
flight. I asked Paul (after completing the live shot), 'Would you
like to fly?' He said, 'Yeah, I haven't been doing any flying
today.' So he took the controls."
"There was no mechanical failure. Weather was not an issue. It
was an accident."
The Bell 206 Long-Ranger IV "Air Tracker 7" has a $1.2
million value, with $600,000 of additional broadcast modifications
on board. Ouch...
FAA Incident Data
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 707V Make/Model:
B06 Description: 206A/B/L, 406, TH-206 JETRANGE
Date: 05/08/2003 Time: 2325
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury:
Minor Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
City: DENVER State: CO Country:
US
DESCRIPTION
CITY
AND COUNTY OF DENVER ADVISED THAT SKY 7 HELICOPTER CRASHED SOUTH
OF DENVER INTERNATIONAL ARPT. THERE WERE THREE POB AND
ONE SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES. DAMAGE IS UNKNOWN AND OTHER
CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. DENVER, CO
INJURY DATA Total
Fatal: 0
# Crew: 3 Fat:
0 Ser:
0 Min:
1 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat:
0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
# Grnd:
Fat: 0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
WEATHER: DEN METAR 082353Z 06008KT 10SM FEW070 SCT120 BKN200
12/02 A2966
OTHER DATA
Activity: Business Phase:
Unknown Operation: General Aviation
Departed: UNKN Dep Date:
Dep. Time:
Destination: UNKN Flt Plan:
UNK Wx Briefing: U
Last Radio Cont: UNKN Last
Clearance:
FAA FSDO: DENVER, CO
(NM03)
Entry date: 05/09/2003
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