# Accident 20250414003389A: Bell 206B, Battleground, WA, April 14, 2025

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 14, 2025, 18:04 local time
- Place: Battleground, WA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 45.9399° N, 122.3773° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.9399&lon=-122.3773&mi=10
- Aircraft: N16671, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N16671) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206B (registry code 1181511, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250 SER 250HP (registry code 03002, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-ser-250hp) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- Reported engine: ALLISON 250-C20B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR25LA134](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR25LA134) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250414003389A

## Narrative

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

THE PILOT DEPARTED THE HELIPAD AT HIS RESIDENCE NEAR WA87 AT APPROXIMATELY 1720 FOR A SOLO FLIGHT PREPARING FOR A PRIVATE PILOT CHECK RIDE ON APRIL 14, 2025. APPROXIMATELY 40 MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT HE WAS FLYING SOLO AT APPROXIMATELY 1000 FEET AGL WHEN HE FELT A SHUDDER, THEN HEARD A DIFFERENT NOISE FROM THE ENGINE, A GRINDING TYPE NOISE. AFTER FEW SECONDS, AN ENGINE CHIP LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND HE IMMEDIATELY TURNED 180° TO GET BETTER ALIGNED FIELDS HE HAD JUST OVERFLOWN WITH THE INTENT OF LANDING. A FEW SECONDS LATER THE ENGINE FAILED AND THE PIC ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION. DURING HIS DECELERATION, THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND CAUSING THE MAIN ROTOR TO STRIKE THE TAIL BOOM SEVERING THE TAIL BOOM, AFT OF THE HORIZONTAL FIN CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AT APPROXIMATELY 1804(L)

## 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 WPR25LA134](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR25LA134), Apr 15, 2025: Bell 206B (N16671), Amboy, WA, substantial damage, investigation ongoing

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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