Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407 accident near Abbeville, Louisiana, May 23, 2023
On May 23, 2023 at about 3:15 pm local time, a 2012 Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407, registered N451PH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Abbeville, Louisiana (Abbeville Chris Crusta Meml 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain proper helicopter control during autorotation that resulted in an abnormal ground contact which caused the subsequent main rotor strike on the tail boom that severed the tail rotor driveshaft. Contributing to the accident was the main rotor blowback condition, due to the aft tilting of the main rotor disk.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 2023 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Abbeville, Louisiana · Abbeville Chris Crusta Meml · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407 NO SERIES, built 2012 · all 407s on the register
- Registration
- N451PH · no longer on the register · serial 54127
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The check pilot and the pilot receiving instruction were performing initial new hire training for the commercial operator. The pilot previously performed three practice 180° autorotations, terminating with a power recovery. The pilot then performed a practice, straight-in, full down autorotation to touchdown on the sod area parallel to the runway. During the touchdown, the two pilots heard a “loud bang.” The helicopter came to rest upright on the sod area and both pilots were able to egress from the helicopter without further incident. A postflight inspection revealed that the main rotor blades struck the tail boom, severing the tail rotor driveshaft. The main rotor blades, the tail boom, and the tail rotor system sustained substantial damage. The operator reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. According to another helicopter manufacturer, main rotor blowback occurs when the forward portion of the helicopter’s main rotor disk is displaced upward, while the rear portion of the main rotor disk is displaced downward. If the resulting blowback is excessive, the main rotor blades may impact the tail boom. A review of the accident helicopter rotorcraft flight manual (RFM) found no information listed to provide awareness to pilots about the main rotor blowback condition.
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
- Autorotation Hard landing defining event
- AC during autorotation Part(s) separation from
- Autorotation Attempted remediation/recovery
- Autorotation Miscellaneous/other
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Rotorcraft flight control › Main rotor control › Incorrect use/operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Main rotor system › Main rotor blade system › Incorrect use/operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Prop/rotor parameters › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot (unmanned)
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,689 hours in all; 714 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,602 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 4, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,500 as pilot in command; 336 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 23, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,305.9 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 20, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 5,250 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C47B (turboshaft); 7,103 hours total
- Operator: Phi Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: LFT Lafayette LA at 2:25 pm
- Runway 34, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 am from KIYA
Weather report (METAR): KIYA 231515Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 27/15 A2996 RMK AO2 T02720148
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on July 27, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Airport Information | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Additional Documents | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.