Bell 206B accident near Zuzenhausen, De, January 7, 2008
On January 7, 2008 at about 8:00 am local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered DHJET, was destroyed in an accident near Zuzenhausen. It was an aerial observation flight under non-U.S. private rules. 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 7, 2008 · about 8:00 am local time
- Place
- Zuzenhausen, Germany · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- DHJET · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On January 7, 2008, at 0800 coordinated universal time, a Bell 206B, German registered D-HJET, owned by LGM Luftfahrtgesellschaft mbH and piloted by the accident pilot, was destroyed when it impacted terrain under unknown circumstances near Zuzenhausen, Germany. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot sustained minor injuries and one passenger was fatally injured. The flight originated from Mannheim, Germany. The German investigators reported that the "helicopter crashed during a pipeline patrol flight." The accident investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the German government. This report is for informational purposes only and contains only information released by or obtained from the German government or German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bundesstelle fuer Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU) Hermann-Blenk Strasse 16 38108 Braunschweig Germany
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
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: Mannheim at 7:00 am
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 600 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 am from EDFM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.