# Accident 20210428007549A: Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 429, Eden, NC, April 28, 2021

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 28, 2021, 13:55 local time
- Place: Eden, NC
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.4971° N, 79.7185° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.4971&lon=-79.7185&mi=10
- Aircraft: N53DE, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N53DE-2023-05-02) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 429 (registry code 1182158, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-helicopter-textron-canada-429) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207D1/D2 (registry code 52299, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pw207d1-d2) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA 429
- Reported engine: P&W CANADA PW207D1/D2
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 2
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 4,400 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA21FA195](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA21FA195) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210428007549A

## Narrative

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

ON APRIL 28, 2021, ABOUT 1324 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A BELL 429 HELICOPTER, N53DE, OPERATED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ A PART 91 COMPANY,  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT NEAR EDEN, NORTH CAROLINA. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED, AND TWO PASSENGERS WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE HELICOPTER WAS OPERATED AS A TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 POWERLINE PATROL.

FROM WITNESS STATEMENTS THE HELICOPTER  WAS FLYING ERRATICALLY AND LOW TO THE TREE LINE PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.  WITNESSES FROM BOTH OUTSIDE THE HELICOPTER AND INSIDE THE HELICOPTER HEARD A LOUD POP AND THE AIRCRAFT WENT INTO A STEEP RIGHT BANK AND STEEP NOSE DOWN WHEN IT DESCENDED VERTICALLY INTO THE TREE LINE.  NTSB IS STILL INVESTIGATING.

## 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 ERA21FA195](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA21FA195), Apr 28, 2021: Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 429 (N53DE), Eden, NC, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The impact of the main rotor blades with the tail boom during low-altitude maneuvers, which severed the tail rotor drive shaft and resulted in a loss of control and impact with 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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