NTSB SEA90FA079 — 1990-12-09 · COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho, United States

Current FAA registration · N53MA

Make / Model: BELL 206B
Year of manufacture: 1977 · 13 years old at event
Engine: ROLLS-ROYC 250-C20B (420 hp)
Seats / Engines: 5 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 20060629
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A6AF28

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N53MA Bell 206B-3 None

Probable cause & findings

FAILURE OF THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND (PIC) TO MAINTAIN ROTOR RPM, AND A DELAY BY THE FAA INSPECTOR (FLIGHT EXAMINER) IN TAKING REMEDICAL ACTION.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT (PIC) AND AN FAA INSPECTOR (CHECK PLT) WERE ON A COMBINED FLT INSTRUCTOR & FAR PART 135 CHECK FLT. THE CHECK PLT INSTRUCTED THE PIC TO EXECUTE A SIMULATED FIXED-TAIL ROTOR FAILURE; THE CHECK PLT SIMULATED THE FAILURE BY HOLDING THE RGT PEDAL SLIGHTLY IN, WHILE THE PIC REMOVED HIS FEET FROM THE PEDALS. THE PIC INITIATED A RUN-ON LANDING WITH AN ESTIMATED 10 DEG RGT YAW. HE RPRTD THAT JUST BEFORE LANDING, AT ABOUT 5 MPH & 2 FT AGL, THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO YAW FURTHER TO THE RIGHT. HE RETARDED THE THROTTLE TO ALIGN THE HELICOPTER WITH THE GND TRACK & INCREASED THE COLLECTIVE TO CUSHION THE LANDING. THE HELICOPTER TOUCHED DOWN FIRMLY. NO PROBLEM WITH HELICOPTER WAS NOTED AT THAT TIME; HOWEVER, AFTER THE FLT, WRINKLES WERE NOTED ON THE TAIL BOOM, SIMILAR TO THOSE DEPICTED IN BELL OPNS SAFETY NOTICE (OSN) 206-84-13. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1990_SEA90FA079.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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