Brantly B-2 accident near Midland, Michigan, August 3, 2018
On August 3, 2018 at about 8:05 pm local time, a 1960 Brantly B-2 (helicopter), registered N5901X, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Midland, Michigan (Jack Barstow airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight separation of the tail rotor blade due to fatigue, which resulted in the subsequent emergency landing and dynamic rollover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 2018 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- Midland, Michigan · Jack Barstow · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Brantly B-2 A, built 1960 · all B-2s on the register
- Registration
- N5901X · no longer on the register · serial 36
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After departing from the airport, the helicopter was in a level flight profile about 2,000 ft above ground level, about 1/4 mile south of the airport. The pilot stated that, when the helicopter was about 60 kts and on a heading of about 270°, he felt a "strong flutter" emit from the helicopter and heard a subsequent "bang" from the rear of the helicopter. The helicopter immediately turned 180° to the right, and the pilot reduced collective and maintained control of the helicopter. The pilot increased the airspeed and maneuvered the helicopter for an emergency landing to the departure airport. During the landing sequence, the helicopter experienced a dynamic rollover and impacted terrain. A postaccident examination revealed that one of the tail rotor blades fractured and separated at the spar. Further, one of the bosses of the tail rotor hub fractured from fatigue. The fatigue crack initiated at multiple sites near the shoulder of the hub shank. These smaller cracks coalesced and propagated inward through over half the hub cross-section. During this propagation, as reverse bending stresses increased, a series of smaller fatigue cracks initiated on the opposite surface, coalescing and propagating inward. When the cracked hub could no longer withstand the stress, the remaining cross-section fractured from overstress. The tail rotor blade affixed to this portion of the hub liberated when the final fracture of the hub boss occurred.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during maneuvering defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during maneuvering
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Tail rotor › Tail rotor blade › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Tail rotor › Tail rotor blade › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 35,000 hours in all; 400 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 1, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,138.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-360-A1AB (piston); 759 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IKW Midland MI at 8:00 pm
- Destination: IKW Midland MI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:15 pm from KIKW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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 CEN18LA313.