Bell 47-B3 accident near Dennison, Texas, January 13, 2006
On January 13, 2006 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Bell 47-B3 (helicopter), registered N1575, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dennison, Texas. It was a personal 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 in-flight separation of the stabilizer bar tube.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 13, 2006 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Dennison, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47-B3 · all 47-B3s on the register
- Registration
- N1575 · no longer on the register · serial 57
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 4,900-hour commercial pilot was maneuvering the single engine helicopter during a photo mission at approximately 1,500 feet mean sea level (MSL) at about 45 knots when he reported hearing a loud bang and a nearly simultaneous erratic movement of the cyclic control. The pilot immediately started looking for a place to land the helicopter. The pilot increased the airspeed and headed for a suitable landing area. On final approach to a vacant football field, the helicopter began to spin as the airspeed began to decay. The pilot then elected to enter an autorotation and landed upright with no further damage. The pilot and his passenger were not injured. An FAA inspector that traveled to the accident site reported that one stabilizer tube from the mast control stabilizer bar assembly had separated from the main rotor system and made the tail rotor assembly after it separated from the helicopter. Approximately 3 inches of one tail rotor blade was found fractured and the 90 degree tail rotor gear box separated from the tail rotor drive shaft. At the time of the accident the winds were reported from 360 degrees at 22 knots, gusting to 29 knots.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,900 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 4,800 as pilot in command; 4,200 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,899 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 1, 2005; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TVO-435 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GYI Ardmore OK at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 1FO Ardmore OK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 22 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
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 N1575 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.