MD Helicopter 500 incident near Wanaka, Nz, October 6, 2016
On October 6, 2016, a MD Helicopter 500, registered ZKIJW, suffered minor damage in an incident during standing (engine(s) operating) near Wanaka. The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. 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
- October 6, 2016
- Place
- Wanaka, New Zealand
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- MD Helicopter 500 N
- Registration
- ZKIJW · no longer on the register · serial LN016
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand has notified the NTSB of an incident involving a MD Helicopters MD520N, which occurred on October 6, 2016. The NTSB has appointed a U.S. Accredited Representative to assist the CAA investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13 as the State of design and manufacture of the helicopter powerplant. All investigative information will be released by the CAA of New Zealand.
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
What happened, in order
- Uncontained engine failure during standing (engine(s) operating) defining event
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-C20R (turboshaft); 0 hours total
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.