- Date
- March 13, 2007, 08:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Norwood, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N926JVAerospatiale SA315B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 27, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20070313002749A
- Case key
- 65465
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 inflight collision with a bird(s).
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 pilot said the helicopter was in cruise flight when it yawed suddenly and began vibrating. After making a precautionary landing, the pilot inspected the helicopter and found two of the three tail rotor blades were bent, and the drive shaft was bent 24 degrees. Feathers and bird remains were found in the tail rotor system. A Denver Zoo avian said they were down feathers but could not identify the bird species.
Factual narrative
The pilot said the helicopter was in cruise flight at 7,800 feet msl (mean sea level), or approximately 300 to 400 feet above the ground, when it suddenly yawed and began vibrating. After making a precautionary landing, the pilot inspected the helicopter and found two of the three tail rotor blades were bent, and the drive shaft was bent 24 degrees. Feathers and bird remains were found in the tail rotor system. A Denver Zoo avian said they were down feathers but could not identify the bird species.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N926JV
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale SA315B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2268
- Airframe hours
- 10,899
- Engine
- Turbomeca Artouste IIIB, 850 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Apex Helicopters, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 2007
- Departed
- GJT · Grand Junction, CO
- Destination
- DRO · Durango, CO
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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 17,300 total · 8,000 in this make and model · 17,100 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- GJT, 80 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.