- Date
- April 30, 2025, 17:52 local (22:52 UTC)
- Place
- Bethany, OK
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9TVBell Helicopter Textron Canada 505
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Dynamic rollover
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Air Flite, FAA, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
- FAA report
- 20250430004399A
- Case key
- 200106
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s improper landing technique that allowed the helicopter’s right skid to get caught on the landing platform, which resulted in a dynamic rollover.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
After completing a two-hour news gathering flight, the pilot returned to the airport and attempted to land on a dolly landing platform. The pilot stated that he landed off-center on the platform, then attempted to back out and straighten the helicopter. The helicopter’s right skid got caught in the middle of the platform, and the helicopter rolled right and experienced a dynamic rollover, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9TV
- Reported as
- Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 505
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 65195
- Built
- 2019
- Airframe hours
- 300.4
- Engine
- Safran Arruis 2R, 505 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Griffin Television Okc LLC
- Registered owner
- Griffin Television Okc LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Condition · April 11, 2025 · 89 hours before
- Airport
- PWA · Wiley Post
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 20, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 13,931 total · 210 in this make and model · 13,570 as pilot in command · 89 in the last 90 days · 41 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,600 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.74 inHg
- Observed at
- KPWA
- METAR
- KPWA 302253Z 34008KT 10SM BKN046 19/15 A2974 RMK AO2 SLP064 T01940150 $
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 13, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 12.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.