Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm BO 105LS A-3 accident near Green Bay, Wisconsin, April 13, 2006
On April 13, 2006 at about 3:22 pm local time, a Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm BO 105LS A-3 (helicopter), registered N202LF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Green Bay, Wisconsin (County Rescue Services Helipor airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight check of the flight controls prior to takeoff and the directional contol not possible by the pilot. Additional causes were the improper installation of the anti-torque pedal cover by company personnel which blocked the flight control system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 2006 · about 3:22 pm local time
- Place
- Green Bay, Wisconsin · County Rescue Services Helipor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm BO 105LS A-3 · all BO 105LS A-3s on the register
- Registration
- N202LF · no longer on the register · serial 2014
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The emergency medical helicopter impacted terrain following takeoff when it began spinning around its vertical axis to a height of approximately 200-300 feet and descended without directional control. The copilot's anti-torque control pedals were found in their full forward position with a safety wire installation that would provide for forward travel of the anti-torque pedals which was contrary to specifications cited in the field approval for the pedal cover. Aircraft logbook entries show that the cover was reinstalled following a company training and evaluation flight.
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: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,074 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 2,030 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,823 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 5,732 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison/Rolls-Royce 250-C28C (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: County Rescue Services, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: 4WN7 Green Bay WI at 3:21 pm
- Destination: 4WN7
- Runway H1, 107 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 3:21 pm from 4WN7
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.
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.