Brantly Helicopter B2B accident near Salem, Illinois, November 23, 1998
On November 23, 1998 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Brantly Helicopter B2B, registered N2291U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salem, Illinois (Salem Lackrone airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 simulated emergency procedure by the pilot-in-command. Additional causes were the directional control not obtained/maintained by the pilot-in-command and the inadequate supervision by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector. A contributing factor was the FAA Inspector's lack of familiarity with the aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 23, 1998 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Salem, Illinois · Salem Lackrone · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Brantly Helicopter B2B
- Registration
- N2291U · registry record · serial 462
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A Brantly-B2B helicopter was substantially damaged during landing on a recreational pilot certificate check ride when the pilot-in-command attempted a hovering autorotation from an altitude of approximately 2-1/2 to 3 feet. The pilot reported, '...We touched down level with a slight left side drift. I was beginning to pull the collective after touch down when the helicopter rotated about the left skid.' The Federal Aviation (FAA) Inspector conducting the check ride reported, '...I briefed (the pilot) that I would be near the controls during the maneuver'. During the maneuver, the helicopter drifted to the left and contacted the ground with its left skid. The helicopter then rolled over. The FAA Inspector stated that he did not have any flight time in a Brantly-B2B. Inspection of the helicopter revealed no mechanical anomalies.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 16,018 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 15,630 as pilot in command; 565 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,406 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 6, 1998; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IVO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLO at 6:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:33 pm from MVN, 20 miles away
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.