Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control while in a low hover.
NTSB analysis
The pilot reported that, after he established the helicopter in a stabilized hover about 3 feet above the ground with the crew chief following on the controls with him, the helicopter rapidly rolled right. The pilot was unable to correct the roll, and the helicopter subsequently impacted the ground and came to rest on its right side. The helicopter's fuselage sustained substantial damage, and the cockpit area was consumed by postimpact fire. Ground scars about 20 feet behind the main wreckage revealed that the tail section contacted the ground first. The pilot reported and a postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the helicopter.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR11LA277 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jun 21, 2011
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona
- Highest injury
- Serious
- Serious injuries
- 2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Bell 212
- N-number
- N49678
- Category
- Helicopter
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Executive or corporate
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.