Bell 206B accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota, June 26, 2007
On June 26, 2007 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N96ND, was destroyed in an accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota (Grand Forks Intl 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 certified flight instructor's inadequate compensation for the gusting wind conditions and failure to maintain control of the helicopter during a hover for takeoff. A factor contributing to the accident was the gusting wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 26, 2007 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Forks, North Dakota · Grand Forks Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N96ND · no longer on the register · serial 4400
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot hover taxied the helicopter from the ramp to a sod area, where he landed the helicopter. The CFI then took the controls. The CFI reported that when the helicopter lifted off the ground, a gust of wind pitched the nose up and the helicopter drifted rearward. The right side skid caught the ground and the helicopter subsequently rolled on its side, causing damage to both the main and tail rotor blades, the cabin, and the landing gear skids. An examination of the helicopter revealed no pre-impact anomalies. Wind conditions reported near the time of the accident were: Wind 270 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 22 knots.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 920 in this make and model; 101 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 8,400 as pilot in command; 7,800 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 148 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 71 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,250 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C20J (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GFK Grand Forks ND at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 2:20 pm from KGFK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.