Bell 206L-1 accident near Mesa Verde, Colorado, October 30, 2000
On October 30, 2000 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter), registered N613, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mesa Verde, Colorado. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 manufacturer's use of improper materials, and inadequate quality control of the tail rotor blades during the manufacturing process, which resulted in fatigue failure of the blade.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 30, 2000 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa Verde, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N613 · no longer on the register · serial 45287
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During approach to land on a helipad at the completion of a seeding flight, the helicopter began, what the pilot described as, an unusual vibration. The pilot conducted a normal landing and during inspection following shutdown, the pilot found that one tail rotor blade had shed the trailing edge counterweight and trailing edge skin. He also found that three of the four mounting points for the tail rotor gearbox had fractured. Both tail rotor blades, which had accumulated approximately 30.8 hours since new, were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for examination. The helicopter was repaired and when the shipping container containing new tail rotor blades was opened and the blades unpacked, the repair station rejected one blade for visual abnormalities in the area of the trailing edge counterweight. The rejected blade was also sent to the laboratory for examination. The laboratory examination provided evidence the tail rotor blade failed due to fatigue in the inboard and outboard skins initiating at the root near the trailing edge counterweights. The fatigue initiated due to buckling deformation of the inboard skin, which was found to be thinner than that specified in the manufacturer's drawings. The rejected tail rotor blade examination provided evidence of uneven bonding of the inboard counterweight and deformation due to the riveting process. Deformation was also noted on the outboard counterweight. Composite Structures, LLC, Monrovia, California, manufactured all the tail rotor blades.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 15,237 hours in all; 3,009 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 71 in the last 30 days; 14,237 as pilot in command; 100 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,006 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 23, 2000; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison C30P (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.