Bell 206 accident near Tombstone, Arizona, September 12, 2014

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The commercial pilot reported that, after initiating a climb for the local flight, he observed that the helicopter was not producing adequate power. He found a suitable landing site and descended toward it. When the helicopter was about 60 to 70 ft above the ground, the helicopter started descending rapidly and impacted the ground hard. During a pressure leak check of the engine, air leaks at three separate "B" nut fittings were found; two of the leaks were at the power turbine governor, and one leak was at the gas producer fuel control. The engine was test run, and it operated; however, it then lost power consistent with the pilot's report. Further examination of the "B" nut fittings revealed that one of the "B" nuts was less than finger tight, the second one was just above finger tight, and the third exhibited breakaway torque within the specified range. The "B" nut fittings were tightened to specifications and rechecked. One of the leaks was still present; the tube was removed, and it was bent near where the leak was found. A new tube was installed, and the engine was run again with no anomalies noted. The engine manufacturer had previously issued several commercial service letters regarding the importance of properly torqueing and aligning the fuel, lubrication, and pneumatic systems tubes and fittings; the service letters contained proper directions, placards, and 100-hour-inspection requirements. The helicopter's most recent 100-hour inspection occurred about 66 hours before the accident. It is likely that the "B" nuts became loose during the approximate 66 hours of operation since the most recent inspection and that maintenance personnel did not adequately inspect the "B" nuts at that inspection and, thus, failed to detect that they were not properly torqued. It could not be determined when the tube became bent.

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.