Eurocopter France AS-350-B2 accident near Port Isabel, Texas, January 26, 2006
On January 26, 2006 at about 4:25 pm local time, a Eurocopter France AS-350-B2 (helicopter), registered N911ES, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Isabel, Texas (Port Isabel - Cameron County 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 pilot's failure to maintain rotor RPM and his improper touchdown during a simulated hovering autorotation. A contributing factor was the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 26, 2006 · about 4:25 pm local time
- Place
- Port Isabel, Texas · Port Isabel - Cameron County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter France AS-350-B2 · all AS-350-B2s on the register
- Registration
- N911ES · no longer on the register · serial 2665
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 5,591-hour helicopter flight instructor reported that he was on the second day of training of a newly hired 10,000-hour commercial helicopter rated pilot. After the pilot's first landing on Runway 03 (4,999-feet long by 150-feet wide asphalt-concrete runway), the flight instructor asked the pilot to perform an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) takeoff (as described in the company's operations manual), and then enter the local traffic pattern. The flight instructor stated that the EMS takeoff procedure began by the pilot bringing the helicopter to a three to five foot hover in order to conduct a power check prior to the application of takeoff power. While the helicopter was at a hover, the flight instructor initiated a hovering autorotation; the pilot immediately applied forward cyclic, and then pulled up on the collective. The flight instructor considered the pilot's flight control inputs to be excessive, resulting in a high sink rate and an undesirable helicopter attitude for touchdown. The instructor immediately took control of the helicopter and brought it back to a level attitude in an attempt to cushion the landing. The flight instructor stated that the main rotor RPM was low and most of the collective had been used to prevent a nose low impact. The helicopter then descended approximately one to two feet, impacting terrain in a level attitude and then bounced forward approximately four feet.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,591 hours in all; 1,671 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 5,479 as pilot in command; 1,242 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,997 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 4,961 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 78TS Harlingen TX at 4:12 pm
- Destination: KPIL Port Isabel TX
- Runway 03, 4,999 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.36 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KPIL
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.
Other NTSB records under N911ES 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.