Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 600N accident near Mankato, Minnesota, January 22, 2021
On January 22, 2021 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 1998 Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 600N, registered N60BK, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Mankato, Minnesota. It was an external-load flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of situational awareness while landing, resulting in an impact with power lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 22, 2021 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mankato, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 600N, built 1998 · all 600Ns on the register
- Registration
- N60BK · registry record · serial RN028
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- External-load flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he had completed one line-pull in the helicopter and had gone back to the landing zone to refuel. After refueling, the pilot flew to the puller machine that was now at another structure. The rope was hooked up by the linemen as normal, but the hydraulic fluid had frozen on the puller machine and it was inoperative. The line was then unhooked by the linemen and the pilot was waved off. The pilot returned to the landing zone to wait for the puller machine to be repaired. After several minutes, the pilot heard the puller operator radio that the machine was operational, and he took off to head back to the structure. He received a second radio call that the machine was not ready, and the pilot turned and started back to the landing zone again. The pilot was concerned that the helicopter would need to be refueled again since pulls typically take about an hour. While flying parallel to the power lines and descending for landing at the fuel truck, he looked at the instrument panel timer to determine the fuel burned. As he looked back outside the helicopter, he saw the middle phase straw line and then felt the main rotor blades impact the straw line about 150 ft agl. The pilot reported the straw line is a 3/8-inch steel wire that is somewhat rusted and difficult to see in most lighting conditions. The pilot then landed near the fuel truck uneventfully. Three of the six main rotor blades were substantially damaged. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter 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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Workload management › Task allocation › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,100 hours in all; 2,200 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 12,900 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 28, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,773.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 13, 2021; 20.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-C47M (turboshaft); 8,206 hours total
- Operator: Brim Equipment Leasing LLC
The flight
- Departed from: Crystal Lake MN at 7:50 pm
- Destination: Mankato MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 14°F (-10°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.24 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 pm from KMKT, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.