Continental Copters MK6B accident near Ft. Yates, North Dakota, July 9, 2003
On July 9, 2003 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Continental Copters MK6B (helicopter), registered N9080T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ft. Yates, North Dakota. 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 inadvertent settling with power and unsuccessful remedial action by the pilot. A factor to the accident was the potato crop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 2003 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ft. Yates, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Continental Copters MK6B
- Registration
- N9080T · no longer on the register · serial CCI-76-4
- 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 helicopter impacted terrain while maneuvering for aerial application. The pilot reported he was making a "wide swing" to the left while descending. He stated the helicopter entered what he believed to be a "settling with power situation by [his] rotor wash." The pilot said he attempted to recover by dropping the collective and pushing forward on the stick. He reported he was too close to the ground to complete the recovery, so he flared to reduce his airspeed and the helicopter impacted the terrain. The spray boom caught the potato crop and the skids were caught in the wet ground. The helicopter nosed forward and rolled to the right, coming to a rest on its right side.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all; 2,100 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 3,100 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 4, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,629 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 24, 2003; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ft. Yates ND at 4:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,900 ft; a few clouds at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 pm from MBG, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N9080T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.