Moments after departure from Campbell River Heliport in British Columbia, Canada, the pilot of a Bell 206B lost control, and the helicopter plunged to the ground, striking a building and two vehicles. The pilot was killed in the Sept. 24, 2019, crash, which destroyed the helicopter.
The investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) determined that among the causes and contributing factors was an “engine power anomaly” that occurred 200 ft above sea level (ASL) during cruise flight, prompting the pilot to reverse course and begin a descent, presumably in preparation for an autorotative landing.
At some point during the brief flight, “the main rotors became deformed,” the main rotor rpm “decreased to a point that could not sustain autorotational flight, and the helicopter fell vertically and impacted the ground,” the TSB said in its final accident report.
The accident investigation revealed other factors, including that “the engine fuel system di…
