Bell 206B accident near Pinehurst, Texas, January 19, 2005
On January 19, 2005 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N8040T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pinehurst, Texas (David Wayne Hooks Memorial airport). It was an instructional flight 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 flight instructor's delay in taking remedial action, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 2005 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pinehurst, Texas · David Wayne Hooks Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8040T · no longer on the register · serial 3615
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 3,000-hour flight instructor and a private helicopter pilot were conducting proficiency flight training in a helicopter. At approximately 300-feet (AGL) and during the second autorotation, the helicopter was flared and the rate-of-descent was arrested; however, the low rotor RPM horn sounded and the certified flight instructor (CFI) elected to take the helicopter to the ground. The helicopter landed hard and the main rotor blade severed the tail boom.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 2,900 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 12, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,089 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 24, 2004; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Helicopter Services Inc
The flight
- Departed from: DWH Houston TX at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,500 ft; scat at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from DWH, 12 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.