NTSB CEN21LA456 — 2021-09-25 · Patterson, Louisiana, United States

Current FAA registration · N662RL

Make / Model: BELL 407
Year of manufacture: 1997 · 24 years old at event
Engine: ROLLS-ROYC 250-C47B (650 hp)
Seats / Engines: 7 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 20150505
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A8BD29

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N662RL Bell 407 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from a parked helicopter while hovering to reposition for takeoff.

Factual narrative

While hovering from the helicopter pad to reposition for takeoff, the pilot backed up the helicopter. During a pedal turn, the tail rotor contacted another helicopter’s main rotor blades, which was parked and located behind on another pad. The pilot reported she felt a strong jolt to the left, and the helicopter began to spin. The pilot lowered the collective, reduced throttle, and the helicopter came to rest upright adjacent to the helicopter pad. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom. The operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot
— Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Aircraft-Awareness of condition

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_CEN21LA456.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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