Aerospatiale SA315B accident near Norwood, Colorado, March 13, 2007
On March 13, 2007 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Aerospatiale SA315B (helicopter), registered N926JV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Norwood, Colorado. It was a positioning 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inflight collision with a bird(s).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 2007 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Norwood, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA315B · all SA315Bs on the register
- Registration
- N926JV · no longer on the register · serial 2268
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said the helicopter was in cruise flight when it yawed suddenly and began vibrating. After making a precautionary landing, the pilot inspected the helicopter and found two of the three tail rotor blades were bent, and the drive shaft was bent 24 degrees. Feathers and bird remains were found in the tail rotor system. A Denver Zoo avian said they were down feathers but could not identify the bird species.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 17,300 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 17,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,899 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Artouste IIIB (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GJT Grand Junction CO at 1:30 pm
- Destination: DRO Durango CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 am from GJT, 80 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN07CA073.