Bell 206L 3 N213TV accident near Ancho, New Mexico

Probable cause

The pilot's distraction by a cell phone during a low-altitude flight, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was conducting a return cross-country business flight in a helicopter. The reported winds at the time of the accident were light, and visibility was at least 10 miles.

GPS data showed that the helicopter departed about 1554 on a northwest heading toward the destination airport. The data revealed that, for the last 5 minutes of the flight, the helicopter's GPS altitude varied between 6,200 and 6,456 ft. The terrain in the area of the accident was between 6,000 and 6,400 ft, and the initial impact point was at 6,330 ft. The last recorded data at 1635 showed the helicopter about 1.5 nautical miles from the accident site at a GPS altitude of 6,456 ft.

A person located near the accident site reported that he saw smoke on nearby ranch property, drove in the direction of the smoke to investigate, and found the helicopter wreckage.

The helicopter impacted terrain in open ranch land. A postcrash fire consumed most of the wreckage. All of the airplane's major components were located at the wreckage site. Ground scars and signatures were consistent with a slight, nose-low impact with terrain, and the wreckage path was about 300 ft long on a 293° heading, which was indicative of controlled flight into terrain.. Although the airframe and engine examinations were limited by impact and fire damage, they did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot's cell phone was recovered, and a review of the phone records revealed that, at 1612, he called a car rental agency. An agency employee stated that she remembered the call well. She added that she could not tell that he was in a helicopter, but that he seemed "busy or distracted" and that, as they were talking about a future rental and she was "midsentence," the line was disconnected. Based on the available information, the pilot was likely using his cell phone during the low-altitude flight and became distracted, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN17FA355 for the full record.