What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On April 26, 2022, at 1300 eastern daylight time, a Bell Helicopter Textron Canada, 429,privacy data omitted, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Elba, new york.
The instructor pilot and company pilot were fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a
Title 14 code of federal regulations part 91 instructional flight.
A representative of the operatorprivacy data omitted., stated that the instructional flight was a
Flight review being conducted by the helicopter manufacturer?s flight instructor with multiple
Flight reviews planned throughout the day;
Preliminary automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data revealed that the
Flight departed genesee county airport (gvq) batavia, new york about 1110 and performed multiple maneuvers in the immediate vicinity of the airport before departing to the east.
About 20 minutes later, the helicopter returned to the airport and performed additional maneuvers in the airport traffic pattern for about 30 minutes before again departing the
Traffic pattern. Shortly after, the helicopter climbed to 2,600 ft mean sea level (MSL) at 70
Knots while on a track of 069° magnetic. Over the next 40 seconds, the helicopter descended
To 1,900 ft MSL at 94 knots as it entered a right turn, completing an oval ground track as it
Climbed and leveled at 2,450 ft MSL and 55 knots for several seconds, before descending to
1,975 Ft MSL (1,227 ft above ground level) while maintaining between 20 and 13 knots.
Several eyewitnesses observed and heard the helicopter flying overhead before to the accident.
One stated that he observed the helicopter ?almost stationary? After it flew over, and then as it
Started to fly away, he heard a loud ?bang?, and the helicopter began to descend out of control.
An additional witness stated that the helicopter was hovering before it ?fell apart? With the
Fuselage falling separately and the helicopter fuselage containing the cockpit, engine, transmission, and rotor assembly
Struck electrical distribution wires as it impacted the terrain at an elevation of about 1,220 ft. MSL. The helicopter came to rest on its left side and a small post-crash fire developed but was
Quickly extinguished by first responders. The wreckage path was about 1,900 ft long and
Oriented in a direction of 250°. The tail boom, containing the tail rotor, drive shaft, vertical fin
And horizontal stabilizer remained largely intact and was discovered about 390 ft from the
Main wreckage, on a heading of about 075°. A section of the tail boom and carbon fiber tail
Rotor shaft was discovered 1,620 ft and 072° from the main wreckage; it exhibited an angled
Fracture line consistent with main rotor blade contact.
All four main rotor blades were separated from the main rotor head and discovered within
550 Ft northwest of the main wreckage. The span of all four blades were recovered. The cyclic
And collective push-pull tubes were traced to their respective control inputs and actuators.
Fractures in the system were consistent with overload. Control continuity was confirmed for
Both collective and cyclic controls.
The main rotor drive system gear box remained partially attached to the airframe both input
Driveshafts could be manually rotated counterclockwise in the freewheeling direction butcould not be manually rotated in the clockwise direction, likely due to impact damage.
The tail rotor input controls were physically actuated confirming control continuity. The tail
Rotor drive shaft remained connected to the main gearbox but was fractured about midway to blower
As the FAA filed it
ON APRIL 26, 2022, AT 1300 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA, 429,^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT NEAR ELBA, NEW YORK.
THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT AND COMPANY PILOT WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE HELICOPTER WAS OPERATED AS A
TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT.
A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OPERATOR^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^., STATED THAT THE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT WAS A
FLIGHT REVIEW BEING CONDUCTED BY THE HELICOPTER MANUFACTURER?S FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WITH MULTIPLE
FLIGHT REVIEWS PLANNED THROUGHOUT THE DAY;
PRELIMINARY AUTOMATIC DEPENDENT SURVEILLANCE-BROADCAST (ADS-B) DATA REVEALED THAT THE
FLIGHT DEPARTED GENESEE COUNTY AIRPORT (GVQ) BATAVIA, NEW YORK ABOUT 1110 AND PERFORMED MULTIPLE MANEUVERS IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE AIRPORT BEFORE DEPARTING TO THE EAST.
ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER, THE HELICOPTER RETURNED TO THE AIRPORT AND PERFORMED ADDITIONAL MANEUVERS IN THE AIRPORT TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES BEFORE AGAIN DEPARTING THE
TRAFFIC PATTERN. SHORTLY AFTER, THE HELICOPTER CLIMBED TO 2,600 FT MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL) AT 70
KNOTS WHILE ON A TRACK OF 069° MAGNETIC. OVER THE NEXT 40 SECONDS, THE HELICOPTER DESCENDED
TO 1,900 FT MSL AT 94 KNOTS AS IT ENTERED A RIGHT TURN, COMPLETING AN OVAL GROUND TRACK AS IT
CLIMBED AND LEVELED AT 2,450 FT MSL AND 55 KNOTS FOR SEVERAL SECONDS, BEFORE DESCENDING TO
1,975 FT MSL (1,227 FT ABOVE GROUND LEVEL) WHILE MAINTAINING BETWEEN 20 AND 13 KNOTS.
SEVERAL EYEWITNESSES OBSERVED AND HEARD THE HELICOPTER FLYING OVERHEAD BEFORE TO THE ACCIDENT.
ONE STATED THAT HE OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER ?ALMOST STATIONARY? AFTER IT FLEW OVER, AND THEN AS IT
STARTED TO FLY AWAY, HE HEARD A LOUD ?BANG?, AND THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO DESCEND OUT OF CONTROL.
AN ADDITIONAL WITNESS STATED THAT THE HELICOPTER WAS HOVERING BEFORE IT ?FELL APART? WITH THE
FUSELAGE FALLING SEPARATELY AND THE HELICOPTER FUSELAGE CONTAINING THE COCKPIT, ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, AND ROTOR ASSEMBLY
STRUCK ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION WIRES AS IT IMPACTED THE TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 1,220 FT. MSL. THE HELICOPTER CAME TO REST ON ITS LEFT SIDE AND A SMALL POST-CRASH FIRE DEVELOPED BUT WAS
QUICKLY EXTINGUISHED BY FIRST RESPONDERS. THE WRECKAGE PATH WAS ABOUT 1,900 FT LONG AND
ORIENTED IN A DIRECTION OF 250°. THE TAIL BOOM, CONTAINING THE TAIL ROTOR, DRIVE SHAFT, VERTICAL FIN
AND HORIZONTAL STABILIZER REMAINED LARGELY INTACT AND WAS DISCOVERED ABOUT 390 FT FROM THE
MAIN WRECKAGE, ON A HEADING OF ABOUT 075°. A SECTION OF THE TAIL BOOM AND CARBON FIBER TAIL
ROTOR SHAFT WAS DISCOVERED 1,620 FT AND 072° FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE; IT EXHIBITED AN ANGLED
FRACTURE LINE CONSISTENT WITH MAIN ROTOR BLADE CONTACT.
ALL FOUR MAIN ROTOR BLADES WERE SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN ROTOR HEAD AND DISCOVERED WITHIN
550 FT NORTHWEST OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE SPAN OF ALL FOUR BLADES WERE RECOVERED. THE CYCLIC
AND COLLECTIVE PUSH-PULL TUBES WERE TRACED TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CONTROL INPUTS AND ACTUATORS.
FRACTURES IN THE SYSTEM WERE CONSISTENT WITH OVERLOAD. CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS CONFIRMED FOR
BOTH COLLECTIVE AND CYCLIC CONTROLS.
THE MAIN ROTOR DRIVE SYSTEM GEAR BOX REMAINED PARTIALLY ATTACHED TO THE AIRFRAME BOTH INPUT
DRIVESHAFTS COULD BE MANUALLY ROTATED COUNTERCLOCKWISE IN THE FREEWHEELING DIRECTION BUTCOULD NOT BE MANUALLY ROTATED IN THE CLOCKWISE DIRECTION, LIKELY DUE TO IMPACT DAMAGE.
THE TAIL ROTOR INPUT CONTROLS WERE PHYSICALLY ACTUATED CONFIRMING CONTROL CONTINUITY. THE TAIL
ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT REMAINED CONNECTED TO THE MAIN GEARBOX BUT WAS FRACTURED ABOUT MIDWAY TO BLOWER
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.