- Date
- September 18, 2026, 10:18 local (14:18 UTC)
- Place
- Creswell, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N50141Bell 206B-III
- Defining event
- Approach: Loss of engine power (partial)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 203850
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Preliminary report
What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.
On September 18, 2026, at 1018 eastern daylight time, a Bell 206B-III, N50141, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Creswell, North Carolina. The pilot was not injured. The helicopter was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. According to the pilot, the helicopter was 40-50 ft above the ground on approach to land when he heard a “whooshing” noise and noticed the engine lost partial power and main rotor RPM had begun to decay. Subsequently, the helicopter landed hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the tail boom. The engine continued to operate after landing until it was shut down normally by the pilot. The helicopter was recovered to a secure location for further examination.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N50141
- Reported as
- Bell 206B-III
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2603
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 12,729.7
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Greenwood Helicopters Inc
- Registered owner
- Greenwood Helicopters Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 7, 2026
- Destination
- Same as departure
- 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.
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 80 °F, dew point 65 °F