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CEN25LA396

2025-09-27 · Archer City, Texas, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N565VA

Make / Model
BELL 206B
Seats / Engines
5 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19800827
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A73B59

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines while herding livestock.

Factual narrative

The pilot was attempting to herd livestock when the helicopter contacted a powerline which damaged the main rotor system and resulted in a loss of control. The helicopter crash-landed into a shallow ditch and came to rest on its right side. The pilot was able to egress with minor injuries before the helicopter was destroyed by a post-impact fire. The pilot 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.

  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Effect on equipment
  • — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_CEN25LA396.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (loss of control). All research papers