Bell BH-206-B accident near Ringgold, Virginia, April 8, 2001
On April 8, 2001 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Bell BH-206-B (helicopter), registered N17HA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ringgold, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
pilot's failure to properly control the helicopter during a slope landing, which resulted in a dynamic rollover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 2001 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ringgold, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell BH-206-B
- Registration
- N17HA · registry record · serial 2003
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner prepared to land on an estimated 7 degree slope with the right/uphill skid first. When the right skid made contact with the ground, the helicopter began to rock back and forth longitudinally. The pilot then lifted the helicopter back up into the air, but it nosed forward. To counteract the nose down attitude, the pilot applied aft cyclic, but it did not arrest the situation. The pilot was then concerned about striking trees that were directly in front of him, so he "dropped" the collective to set the helicopter down again. However, the helicopter landed on the front part of the skids, and rolled over onto its nose, and came to rest on its left side. According to Advisory Circular 90-87-Helicopter Dynamic Rollover, "During normal or slope take-offs and landings with the same degree of bank angle or side drift with one skid on the ground, the bank angle or side drift can place the helicopter in a situation where it is pivoting (rolling) about a skid, which is still in contact with the ground. When the uphill slope skid hits the ground, the dynamics of the motion can cause the helicopter to bounce off the upslope skid, and the inertia can cause the helicopter to roll about the downslope ground contact point and over onto its side. The collective should not be pulled suddenly to get airborne, as a large and abrupt rolling moment in the opposite direction will result. This movement can be uncontrollable. If the helicopter develops a roll rate with one skid on the ground, the helicopter can roll over on its side." The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,851 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 1,693 as pilot in command; 194 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,710 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 22, 2000; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250 20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DAN Danville VA at 1:30 pm
- Destination: NONE Ringgold VA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from DAN, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.