# Accident 19960921029089A: Bell 407, Kerrville, TX, September 21, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 21, 1996, 14:25 local time
- Place: Kerrville, TX
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Pwr Off Run Land (Autorotation
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 30.0395° N, 99.1309° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.0395&lon=-99.1309&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1114S (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BELL 407
- Reported engine: ALLSN 250C47B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 4,804 total, 112 in this make and model, 99 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW96LA395](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96LA395) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960921029089A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

FADES FAULT LIGHT ON ENGINE OVERSPEED. SHUT DOWN. AUTOROTATED HARD LANDING BUCKLED SKIDS. HMU HARNESS DEFECTIVE. (-23) ON SEPTEMBER 21, 1996, A BELL HELICOPTER MODEL 407 IMPACTED THE GROUND ABOUT A MILE FROM THE KERRVILLE AIRPORT DUE TO LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE HELICOPTER WAS ON A TEST FLIGHT FOR A FADEC (FULL AUTHORITY DIGITAL AUTOMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM) LIGHT WHICH WAS NOTICED PRIOR TO LANDING AT KERRVILLE. DAMAGE TO THE HELICOPTER WAS SUBSTANTIAL, THE TAIL BOOM WAS BENT, LANDING GEAR WAS BROKE AND THE CABIN SIDES WERE BUCKLED AND CRACKED. AD 96-21-12 WAS ISSUED GROUNDING ALL BELL MODEL 407 PENDING COMPLETION OF THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF CORRECTIVE ACTION.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW96LA395](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96LA395), Sep 21, 1996: Bell 407 (N1114S), Kerrville, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The loss of power due to the pilot's failure to comply with established procedures. Factors were a short in the FADEC wiring harness due to a manufacturing defect, and the lack of suitable terrain…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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