- Date
- November 21, 2024, 11:35 local (16:35 UTC)
- Place
- Lakeland, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N422RHBell 206B
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of tail rotor effectiveness
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20241121017229A
- Case key
- 195549
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 failure to maintain yaw control during a tailwind approach, which resulted in a loss of tail rotor effectiveness, an uncommanded spin, and subsequent hard landing.
Findings · 3
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 pilot reported that during the approach to land, he initiated a left turn to align with the wind and landing pad when the helicopter entered an uncommanded right spin. He attributed the loss of control to an 18-knot tailwind and described the event as consistent with a loss of tail rotor effectiveness. He was unable to regain control, and the helicopter descended in a spiraling right turn before impacting the ground. A post-accident review of photographs by the NTSB investigator confirmed that the helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N422RH
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3249
- Built
- 1981
- Airframe hours
- 4,875
- Engine
- Allison 250 SER 250HP, 250 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 20, 2024
- Departed
- BKV · Brookville, FL
- Destination
- LAL · Lakeland, FL
- Airport
- LAL · Lakeland Linder Intl
- Equipment
- 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
- 71
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- May 20, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 5,500 total · 40 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- LAL, 2 nm away
- METAR
- KLAL 211750Z 35011KT 10SM SKC 18/04 A2997
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 3, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 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.