- Date
- December 19, 2025, 08:25 local (14:25 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Worth, TX
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N505TZBell Helicopter Textron Canada 505
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 16, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- Case key
- 202186
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 flight instructor’s inadequate supervision during the approach and delayed remedial action, which resulted in a loss of control.
Findings · 1
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
The company’s chief flight instructor reported that during a hydraulic system training maneuver, the pilot receiving instruction established too high of a sink rate, and the helicopter bounced upon touchdown. The helicopter then yawed to the right and bounced a second time before starting a slide towards the edge of the runway. The pilot receiving instruction attempted to correct by pushing the collective full down, however, the flight instructor realized that the helicopter would not come to a stop before exiting the runway and attempted to lift the helicopter back into the air. Before the helicopter could lift off, the left skid contacted the grass, the helicopter rolled to the left, and the main rotor contacted the ground. The helicopter then rolled to the right and came to rest on its right side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor system, tail rotor system, and tail boom. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The chief flight instructor reported the accident could have been prevented if the flight instructor would have recognized the excessive rate of descent and made the necessary control inputs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N505TZ
- Reported as
- Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 505
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 65012
- Built
- 2017
- Airframe hours
- 2,280
- Engine
- Turbomeca ARRIUS 2R, 505 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Bell Training Academy
- Registered owner
- Bell Textron Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 9, 2025
- Airport
- XS04 · Bell South, runway Lane 2, 1,600 × 65 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Injuries
- Unknown
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 15, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,690 total · 88 in this make and model · 1,493 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- KNFW, 7 nm away
- METAR
- KNFW 191352Z 00000KT 10SM FEW250 02/M04 A3019 RMK AO2 SLP205 T00221044 $=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 16, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 MB in all.