NTSB ERA25LA059 — 2024-11-21 · Lakeland, Florida, United States

Current FAA registration · N422RH

Make / Model: BELL 206B
Year of manufacture: 1981 · 43 years old at event
Engine: ALLISON 250 SER 250HP (250 hp)
Seats / Engines: 5 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19810305
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A5048C

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N422RH Bell 206B None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain yaw control during a tailwind approach, which resulted in a loss of tail rotor effectiveness, an uncommanded spin, and subsequent hard landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during the approach to land, he initiated a left turn to align with the wind and landing pad when the helicopter entered an uncommanded right spin. He attributed the loss of control to an 18-knot tailwind and described the event as consistent with a loss of tail rotor effectiveness. He was unable to regain control, and the helicopter descended in a spiraling right turn before impacting the ground. A post-accident review of photographs by the NTSB investigator confirmed that the helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident 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.

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Yaw control-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2024_ERA25LA059.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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