Bell Helicopter Textron 407 accident near Nuevo, California, March 24, 2023
On March 24, 2023 at about 7:17 pm local time, a Bell Helicopter Textron 407, registered N14Z, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Nuevo, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to maneuver in a steep bank at a low altitude, which resulted in his failure to maintain clearance with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 2023 · about 7:17 pm local time
- Place
- Nuevo, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell Helicopter Textron 407 · all 407s on the register
- Registration
- N14Z · registry record · serial 54704
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and passenger departed in the helicopter on a personal flight over rough hilly terrain. The pilot’s cell phone was enabled with a crash notification feature, which initiated a call to a family member to notify them there may have been an accident. The family member notified first responders, and the wreckage was located near the peak of a rocky hilltop. Video recovered from cameras mounted on the outside of the helicopter shows the helicopter took off and made two low-level passes over terrain. As the pilot approached the crest of a ridgeline, he initiated a steep right turn. As the helicopter passed a rocky outcrop at the top of the hill, the main rotor blade contacted the terrain. Fragments of main rotor blades can be seen across the entire view of the camera. Reviewed medical evidence for the pilot and pilot-rated passenger indicated that they both had some risk factors for an impairing or incapacitating cardiovascular event. Although such an event cannot be excluded by autopsy evidence alone, there was no autopsy evidence that such an event occurred, and the accident circumstances were not consistent with a sudden medical event. Thus, it is unlikely that the pilot’s or pilot-rated passenger’s medical conditions contributed to the accident. Examination of the helicopter revealed no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Understanding/comprehension › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Decision related to condition
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,190 hours in all; 132 in this make and model
- Last flight review: November 1, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,750.2 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 1, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 5,250 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250C47B/8 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F70 Murrietta CA at 7:05 pm
- Destination: L35 Big Bear CA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from KHMT, 7 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KHMT 240555Z AUTO 21010KT 10SM OVC044 08/08 A3020 RMK AO2 T00820081 10121 20080 6000
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC23FA031.