D & K Aviation BABY BELLE accident near Spartanburg, South Carolina, July 19, 2017
On July 19, 2017, a 2000 D & K Aviation BABY BELLE (helicopter), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N211CJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Spartanburg, South Carolina (Spartanburg Downtown Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control during the approach to landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2017
- Place
- Spartanburg, South Carolina · Spartanburg Downtown Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- D & K Aviation BABY BELLE NO SERIES, built 2000, amateur-built
- Registration
- N211CJ · no longer on the register · serial DK1-1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot of the experimental, amateur-built helicopter reported that he returned to the airfield after a local flight and was preparing to land. While flying about 4 ft above ground level at an indicated airspeed between 16 and 24 mph, he felt a shudder, and the helicopter yawed to the right. He straightened the helicopter with antitorque pedal inputs and did not recall hearing any engine noise, although the doors were removed. The next thing that he recalled was lying on the ground, with the helicopter leaking fuel. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the helicopter's main rotor blades were bent and the tailboom was severed. Postaccident examination of the helicopter, which included an engine run, did not reveal any evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Although the pilot reported 46 total hours of helicopter flight experience, all in the make and model of the accident helicopter, he did not possess a rotorcraft rating at the time of the accident.
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
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Prop/rotor parameters › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Qualification/certification › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 760 hours in all; 46 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 760 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 6, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 325 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 29, 2016; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C2C (piston); 326 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPA Spartanburg SC
- Destination: SPA Spartanburg SC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on November 30, 2018. 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, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | NTSB Record of Conversation with Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Excerpts - Aircraft Logbook | PDF, 15 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Excerpts - Engine Logbook | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Annual Inspection Records | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photo Array | PDF, 8 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.