- Date
- April 4, 2026, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Enterprise, AL
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N75140Bell UH1
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Part(s) separation from AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 8, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 202910
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 in-flight separation of a turn lock fastener stud, which resulted in substantial damage to one tail rotor blade.
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 operator reported that following an uneventful flight, the pilot-in-command conducted a postflight inspection of the helicopter and noted a missing turn lock fastener stud on the tail rotor driveshaft cover of the vertical stabilizer. Additionally, the leading edge of one tail rotor blade near the blade tip was substantially damaged. The missing fastener was not located. The pilot reported that the fastener had been in place prior to the accident flight and that the tail rotor blade was not damaged. Thus, the fastener likely separated in-flight and contacted the tail rotor blade. The helicopter’s most recent inspection was completed about 2 months and 77 flight hours before the accident flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N75140
- Reported as
- Bell UH1 (H)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 71-20123
- Built
- 1971
- Airframe hours
- 5,762
- Engine
- Lycoming T-53-L13, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Friends Of Army Aviation-Ozark
- Registered owner
- Friends Of Army Aviation-Ozark
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- AAIP · February 20, 2026 · 77 hours before
- Departed
- EDN · Enterprise, AL
- Destination
- 71J · Ozark, AL
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 10, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,843 total · 293 in this make and model · 1,026 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 19, 2026
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,048 total · 324 in this make and model · 100 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- KDHN, 16 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KDHN 041653Z 17006KT 10SM SCT027 SCT100 27/20 A3023 RMK AO1 SLP231 T02670200 $=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 8, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.3 MB in all.