Bell 206L-3 accident near Logan, Utah, July 7, 2000
On July 7, 2000 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Bell 206L-3 (helicopter), registered N38903, was substantially damaged in an accident near Logan, Utah. 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
in-flight collision with a jacket, which blew out of the helicopter because the left passenger door was not properly secured prior to takeoff. A contributing factor was the pilot's failure to ensure the door was properly closed prior to takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2000 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Logan, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-3 · all 206L-3s on the register
- Registration
- N38903 · no longer on the register · serial 51017
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following maintenance on the helicopter, the pilot was conducting a test flight. Takeoff was made with the left passenger door unlatched. When this was pointed out to the pilot by radio, he commenced a precautionary approach/landing to close the door. During the approach, the pilot felt and heard a bang followed by a vibration and rattling noise. This subsided and the pilot analyzed a loss of tail rotor control. He conducted a forced landing and the helicopter rolled on its left side during the landing. The main rotor blades and rotor head separated and the main rotor blades and tail rotor struck the tail boom. At the time of the flight, a jacket with red and black stenciled letters on the back was lying on the passenger seat. It was not found following the accident. Examination of the helicopter following the accident revealed a torsional fracture of the number 4 tail rotor drive shaft section and a bend in the number 5 section. Also, the tail rotor blades had red paint transfer, and one had a dent in the leading edge, and was bent near the blade root. Analysis of the paint transfer revealed it did not come from the jacket lettering. Parts of the helicopter were painted red and the red part of the tail boom exhibited paint transfer and slap marks. The tail rotor blades did not exhibit rotational impact damage.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,300 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 7,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,509 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 30, 2000; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250 C30P (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LGU at 8:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from LGU, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N38903 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.