- Date
- March 5, 2007, 08:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Custer, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N150SPBell 206 B3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20070305002689A
- Case key
- 65368
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 clearance between the tail rotor of his helicopter and a piece of farm equipment during the landing sequence.
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
While landing his helicopter at a cattle feeding lot, the pilot failed to maintain clearance from a piece of farm equipment that had been parked near the location that he chose to land at. While less than 10 feet above his landing spot, the pilot inadvertently allowed the tail rotor of the helicopter to come in contact with the piece of equipment.
Factual narrative
While landing his helicopter at a cattle feeding lot, the pilot failed to maintain clearance from a piece of farm equipment that had been parked near the location that he chose to land at. While less than 10 feet above his landing spot, the pilot inadvertently allowed the tail rotor of the helicopter to impact the piece of equipment.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N150SP
- Reported as
- Bell 206 B3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2216
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20J, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dan S. Scott
- Registered owner
- Tongue Canyon Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Dayton, WY
- Destination
- Custer, MT
- Airport
- NONE · Private property
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
- 75
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 510 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N150SP · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.