Cougar, WA, USA
N66HJ
BELL 205A-1
On September 7, 2022, about 1555 Pacific daylight time, a Bell 205A-1, N66HJ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cougar, Washington. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was operated as a public aircraft firefighting flight. The privately owned helicopter was performing firefighting operations under contract with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in response to the Kalama Fire, under the operational control of the US Forest Service. Earlier in the day the pilot had performed a series of crew relocation and firefighting water drop activities in the accident helicopter lasting about 2 hours. He then refueled using the same fuel truck for the previous flight and departed for Merrill Lake, where the firefighting water bucket (suspended from a 100 ft line) was reattached to the helicopter. He then performed four uneventful water dip and drop runs. For the fifth dip he lowered the bucket into the water and maneuvered the helicopter to begin the fill, but the helicopter began to descend and yaw to the left. He lowered the collective control, and confirmed the throttle was set at full power, following which the engine appeared to completely lose power. The helicopter descended while the master caution light illuminated, and the low rotor RPM horn sounded. He applied forward cyclic to aim for the shoreline and attempted to activate the bucket line release. As the water approached, he applied up collective and the helicopter struck the surface in a flat attitude. By this time the engine had completely stopped, and the main rotor blades struck the water surface. The helicopter began to roll to the right while filling with water, and the pilot was able open the door and egress to the shoreline.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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