Bell 47G 3B 1 N48316 accident near Portia, Arkansas

Probable cause

The pilot's decision to perform a sliding takeoff from the elevated platform, which resulted in a dynamic rollover when the right skid plate caught on a protruding screw. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to adequately inspect the landing platform before flight.

NTSB analysis

While departing from an elevated wood platform, the pilot elected to make a sliding takeoff, and after the helicopter's skids had slid forward about 2.5 ft, the skid plate on the bottom of the helicopter's right skid caught on a raised deck screw that had backed out of the platform. The pilot attempted to free the skid by applying power and pitching the helicopter forward. As the skid broke free, the helicopter pivoted forward and yawed to the right. The helicopter impacted the ground in a near-vertical attitude, and the main rotor blades contacted the service truck's cab. An individual on the ground was struck and fatally injured by debris from the helicopter. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter prior to the accident, and did not recall inspecting the landing platform the morning of the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN16LA182 for the full record.