MD Helicopters, Inc. MD 900 accident near Mesa, Arizona, March 22, 2006
On March 22, 2006 at about 11:00 pm local time, a MD Helicopters, Inc. MD 900, registered N912LH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mesa, Arizona. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The manufacturer's inadequate design clearance of the main rotor blade grip pitch cases, which resulted in damage to the pitch cases when they contacted main rotor perimeter bolts during maneuvering flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 2006 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- MD Helicopters, Inc. MD 900
- Registration
- N912LH · registry record · serial 900-00095
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental category flight was being operated by the helicopter manufacturer under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The commercial certificated helicopter pilot was conducting a series of climbing and descending turns while a second helicopter, flying alongside, filmed the maneuvers. According to a safety representative for the helicopter manufacturer, all of the maneuvers were conducted within the normal limitations of the helicopter. The maneuvers were completed uneventfully, with no in-flight anomalies noted, and the helicopter returned to the manufacturer's base. While conducting a routine daily inspection of the helicopter in preparation for the next scheduled flight, maintenance technicians discovered damage to the main rotor hub's five pitch case assemblies, slightly aft of the upper damper cap. The damage was a result of the pitch cases striking the upper main rotor hub perimeter bolts. All five pitch cases were damaged beyond repairable limits, and were replaced. The safety representative for the helicopter manufacturer reported that the anticipated corrective action will be to increase the clearance between the pitch cases and the main rotor hub perimeter bolts by trimming additional material from the inboard and upper portion of the main rotor pitch case assemblies during the manufacturing process.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,266 hours in all; 1,017 in this make and model; 146 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 10,801 as pilot in command; 6,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 77.0 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207E (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 10:30 pm
- Destination: FFZ Mesa AZ
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.