MD Helicopter Inc MD 900 incident near Amherst, Texas, October 19, 2008
On October 19, 2008 at about 9:00 pm local time, a MD Helicopter Inc MD 900, registered N902NM, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute (cruise) near Amherst, Texas. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the vertical stabilizer control adapter due to reverse bending fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 2008 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Amherst, Texas · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- MD Helicopter Inc MD 900
- Registration
- N902NM · no longer on the register · serial 900-00105
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight, the helicopter experienced a hard right yaw and subsequent pitching moment up and down. The pilot was able to regain control of the helicopter and land without further incident. Examination revealed that the left vertical stabilizer control system adapter had failed. Metallurgical examination revealed that the failure mode was reverse bending fatigue. The vertical stabilizer control system adapter has been replaced with an improved design. Further, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) requiring all MD900 helicopter operators with the old VSCS tube adapters to comply with airspeed and autopilot restrictions. If an operator replaces the old VSCS tube adapter with the new design, the AD is not applicable.
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
- Flight control sys malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Stabilizer control system › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 9,900 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 24, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,842 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 26, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney BG0106 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney BG0058 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KLBB Lubbock TX at 9:28 pm
- Destination: KCVN Clovis NM
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 11 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 pm from KCVN, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.