Bell 206 accident near Thomaston, Georgia, September 20, 2015
On September 20, 2015 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 1979 Bell 206 (helicopter), registered N165BH, was destroyed in an accident during landing near Thomaston, Georgia. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of tail rotor control due to a fractured pin in the tail rotor control system; the reason the pin fractured could not be determined as the fractured pin was lost in shipping.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 2015 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Thomaston, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206 L1, built 1979 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N165BH · no longer on the register · serial 45249
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot performed a right pedal turn to land the helicopter on a truck-mounted platform, and, just before touchdown, a pin that connected a push-pull tube to the left anti-torque pedal broke resulting in a loss of directional control. The pilot maneuvered the helicopter away from the truck to avoid striking his employees and tried unsuccessfully to land back on the truck's platform. He then repositioned away from the truck, closed the throttle, and lowered the collective to land, and the main rotor blades struck the side of the truck. Although this make and model of helicopter is typically flown from the right seat, the accident helicopter was equipped with a left-hand "command" kit, and the pilot was flying it from the left seat. In addition, the helicopter was equipped with a tail rotor pedal lockout kit, which was designed to disconnect and lockout the tail rotor pedals to prevent interference by a passenger seated in the copilot's seat, which was, in this helicopter, the right seat. Photographs of the tail rotor pedal assembly revealed that the left expandable pin, which was a part of the tail rotor pedal lockout kit, had fractured, which disconnected the left anti-torque pedal from the tail rotor control system. Fracture analysis could not be performed on the broken pin because the pin was lost in shipping. Therefore, the failure mode for the pin could not be determined; however, it is built to the same strength as the bolts that it is intended to replace.
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
- Flight control sys malf/fail during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Rotorcraft flight control › Tail rotor control system › Damaged/degraded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Yaw control › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,409 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,977.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 7, 2015; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,251 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C28 SER (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Thomaston GA at 10:30 pm
- Destination: Thomaston GA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from KOPN, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on September 29, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 13 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record – Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Review of Tail Rotor Pedal Lockout Device | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.