- Date
- June 26, 2007, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Forks, ND
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N96NDBell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20070626020509A
- Case key
- 66138
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 certified flight instructor's inadequate compensation for the gusting wind conditions and failure to maintain control of the helicopter during a hover for takeoff. A factor contributing to the accident was the gusting wind conditions.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The student pilot hover taxied the helicopter from the ramp to a sod area, where he landed the helicopter. The CFI then took the controls. The CFI reported that when the helicopter lifted off the ground, a gust of wind pitched the nose up and the helicopter drifted rearward. The right side skid caught the ground and the helicopter subsequently rolled on its side, causing damage to both the main and tail rotor blades, the cabin, and the landing gear skids. An examination of the helicopter revealed no pre-impact anomalies. Wind conditions reported near the time of the accident were: Wind 270 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 22 knots.
Factual narrative
The helicopter was destroyed when it impacted terrain and rolled over during takeoff hover. The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that the helicopter startup and runup was uneventful. The student pilot hover taxied the helicopter from the ramp to a sod area near Bravo taxiway. The student landed the helicopter and the CFI took over the controls so that the student could put on his view limiting device to prepare for the instrument flight. The CFI stated that when the helicopter lifted off the ground, a gust of wind pitched the nose up and the helicopter drifted rearward. The right side skid caught the ground and the helicopter subsequently rolled on its side, causing damage to both the main and tail rotor blades, the cabin, and the landing gear skids. An examination of the helicopter revealed no pre-impact anomalies.
Wind conditions reported near the time of the accident were: Wind 270 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 22 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N96ND
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 4400
- Airframe hours
- 2,250
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce 250-C20J, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- University of North Dakota
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 1, 2007
- Departed
- GFK · Grand Forks, ND
- Airport
- GFK · Grand Forks Intl
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 9,000 total · 920 in this make and model · 8,400 as pilot in command · 101 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 148 total · 41 in this make and model · 71 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KGFK
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.