Bell 407 N947LH
22 January 2020 · Minot, North Dakota, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 22 January 2020 at about 19:32 local time, a Bell 407 registered N947LH, operated by Executive Air Taxi Corp, was involved in an accident near Minot, North Dakota, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:32
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Minot, North Dakota, United States
- Nearest airport
- Trinity Health (2ND4)
- Coordinates
- 48.2322, -101.2933
- Aircraft
- Bell 407
- Registration
- N947LH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 2001
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Executive Air Taxi Corp
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Minot → Minot
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN20LA068
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from fencing around the landing pad during landing, which resulted in the tail rotor contacting the fence.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot departed on a positioning flight to pick up a medical crew. As he neared the helipad, he performed a right 180° circling approach. After completing the turn, the pilot thought he was a little low on final approach, and "pulled in a little collective" as he leveled the helicopter, which contacted the landing pad "firmly." Before the subsequent departure, the pilot felt a vibration, and he shut down the helicopter to investigate. The crew walked toward the tail and noticed a slight bend in the lower vertical fin, the tips of both tail rotor blades missing, and the helipad safety fence missing a small section of the fence-edge pipe. Further examination of the helicopter identified cracks in the tail boom structure. A security camera video of the helipad showed that the helicopter's tail rotor impacted the fence during the landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 407 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 2020 | Bell 407 | Long Marston, United Kingdom | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Feb 2020 | Bell 407 | Laishevo, Russia | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Sep 2020 | Bell 407 | Fort Worth, Texas, United States | DEA | No injuries | - |
| 10 Nov 2020 | Bell 407 | Kala, Tanzania | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Jan 2020 | Bell 407 | Lautaro, Chile | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Dec 2019 | Bell 407 | Gulf of Mexico, United States | Panther Helicopters Inc | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Jul 2020 | Cessna 188 | Pembina, North Dakota, United States | Southeast Air Services | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Nov 2020 | Piper PA-22-135 | Dunn Center, North Dakota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 3 Jun 2020 | Piper PA32 | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Nov 2020 | Schweizer 269C | Rhame, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 2020 | Van's RV8 | Mandan, North Dakota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 7 Mar 2019 | Piper PA18 | Wyndmere, North Dakota, United States | Larsons Flying Service | No injuries | - |