# Accident 20000418007209A: Bell 206L, Lakewood, CO, April 18, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 18, 2000, 10:53 local time
- Place: Lakewood, CO
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.7410° N, 105.0705° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.7410&lon=-105.0705&mi=10
- Aircraft: N937S (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206L
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN00FA074](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN00FA074) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000418007209A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON APRIL 18, 2000, AT 1021 MDT, A BELL 206L-3 HELI, N937S, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING AN EMERGENCY AUTOROTATIVE LANDING NEAR RED ROCKS MOUNTAIN PARK, LAKEWOOD, CO. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT CERTIFIED PILOT AND HIS PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL ETEROROLICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THIS BUSINESS FLIGHT OPERATING UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM KREMMING, CO. AT 0950. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS IN A DESCENT AT ABOUT 9,500 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL) AND LOST TAIL ROTOR CONTROL. HE PERFORMED AN AUTOROTATION TO A LANDING IN A FIELD. SUBSEQUENT TO THE LANDING, EXAMINATION OF THE HELI REVEALED THAT BOTH TAIL ROTOR BLADES HAD SEPARATED APPROX. 8 INCHES OUTBOARD FROM THE HUB, AND THE TAIL ROTOR GEAR BOX WAS BROKEN LOOSE AT THE MOUNTING GEAR.

## 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 DEN00FA074](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN00FA074), Apr 18, 2000: Bell 206L-3 (N937S), Lakewood, CO, substantial damage. Probable cause: The complete loss of the tail rotor blades due to a fatigue failure of one blade. Factors were sloping and rough uneven terrain for the ensuing forced landing.

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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