Bell 206L-3 accident near Thorntown, Indiana, July 8, 2024
On July 8, 2024 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 1982 Bell 206L-3 (helicopter), registered N206WX, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Thorntown, Indiana. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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 failure to ensure that the load hose was disconnected from the helicopter before takeoff, which resulted in a loss of control after liftoff and a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 2024 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Thorntown, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-3, built 1982 · all 206L-3s on the register
- Registration
- N206WX · registry record · serial 51038
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting agricultural flight operations in a helicopter using a truck and trailer as a refueling/loading base. Before the takeoff, the helicopter was reloaded with fungicide and fuel while on the truck trailer. The pilot inadvertently departed with the agricultural load hose still connected to the helicopter. The pilot reported that the helicopter yawed suddenly after liftoff, due to the connected load hose, which he perceived as a loss of engine power. The pilot made an immediate hard landing in an adjacent cornfield, during which the main rotor system deflected down and struck the tail. The tailboom and vertical fins were substantially damaged during the hard landing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot opined that the accident might have been prevented with the use of a checklist, better radio communication with the ground crew, and the use of a breakaway fitting on the load hose.
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
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Equipment/furnishings › Agricultural/external load sys › Incorrect use/operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground equipment › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring equip/instruments › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,805.3 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 53.5 in the last 90 days; 21.6 in the last 30 days; 9,679.4 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 19, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,133 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 23, 2024; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C30P (turboshaft); 10,133 hours total
- Operator: Vertical Vegetation Management, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: Thorntown IN at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from TYQ, 15 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KTYQ 082255Z AUTO 22008KT 10SM CLR 28/19 A2998 RMK AO2 T02830193=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 9 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Helicopter at accident site, left
Photo 2 – Helicopter at accident site, aft left
Photo 3 – Helicopter at accident site, aft right
Photo 4 – Helicopter at accident site, right
Photo 5 - Aft fuselage, tailboom, horizontal stabilizer, vertical fins, and tail rotor.
Photo 6 – Tailboom damage
Photo 7 - Tailboom, horizontal stabilizer, vertical fins, and tail rotor.
Photo 8 – Remnants of the agricultural load hose
Photo 9 - Remnants of the agricultural load hoseThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 21, 2025. 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 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 10 pages · our copy | 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.