Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206 accident near Hibbing, Minnesota, August 27, 2023
On August 27, 2023 at about 5:15 pm local time, a 2008 Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206, registered N19BH, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Hibbing, Minnesota. It was a firefighting 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 ground crew’s failure to secure the backpack at the landing zone (LZ), that resulted in the tail rotor impacting the backpack during the landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate selection of an area at the LZ, the lack of awareness of the backpack at the LZ, and the absence of communication between the pilot and the ground crew during the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2023 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Hibbing, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206 L-4, built 2008 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N19BH · registry record · serial 52370
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Firefighting flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was operating at a remote, unimproved landing zone (LZ) with a ground crew consisting of firefighters. They were conducting aerial firefighting training with an external load consisting of a 50 ft longline and a water bucket. The LZ consisted of about 2.5 ft tall prairie grass, with the tail of the helicopter going up slope. During the landing to the LZ, the tail rotor impacted a backpack on the ground. The helicopter landed upright and the pilot shutdown the helicopter. The pilot performed a self-assessment of the damage sustained to the tail rotor blades and then flew the helicopter back to the airtanker base with the ground crew onboard. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to both tail rotor blades and the tail rotor hub. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot was in radio contact with the ground crew during the training. However, during the landing, there was no communication between the ground crew and the pilot either via radio or hand signal. The orange-colored backpack was owned and was used by the ground crew. According to the operator, the pilot and the ground crew had worked together previously conducting aerial firefighting operations and the pilot had landed to the LZ several times in the past.
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 (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Simulated/training event during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- External load event (Rotorcraft) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Miscellaneous/other during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Tail rotor › (general) › Damaged/degraded
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground equipment › Awareness of condition
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground equipment › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Ground crew
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Communication (personnel) › Lack of communication › Ground crew
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Communication (personnel) › CRM/MRM techniques › Ground crew
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Ground crew
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Communication (personnel) › Lack of communication › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Communication (personnel) › CRM/MRM techniques › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,107 hours in all; 86 in this make and model; 154 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 3,065 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 20, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,063.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 23, 2023; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,450 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C30P (turboshaft); 5,753 hours total
- Operator: Brainerd Helicopter Service, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: HIB Hibbing MN at 4:30 pm
- Destination: Hibbing MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from KHIB, 2 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KHIB 271653Z AUTO VRB03KT 10SM CLR 17/05 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP206 T01720050
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
13 documents, released by the NTSB on October 26, 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.
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.