19861107054299A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Bell 206L3 · Billings, MT · November 7, 1986

Date
November 7, 1986 · 08:20 local
Place
Billings, MT
Phase of flight
Pwr Off Run Land (Autorotation
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
DYRA
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N3889S
NTSB investigation
NTSBDEN87FA018
Reported as
Bell 206L3
Reported engine
Allison 250C30
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
7,000 total1,350 in this make and model73 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The helicopter lost the tail rotor after striking a protective cover. Pilot failed to remove cover on preflight.

As the FAA filed it

THE HELICOPTER LOST THE TAIL ROTOR AFTER STRIKING A PROTECTIVE COVER. PILOT FAILED TO REMOVE COVER ON PREFLIGHT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.