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

FMI: http://www2.faa.gov/avr/aai/iirform.htm