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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2017 · cases in 2017
- Place
- Spartanburg, South Carolina · Spartanburg Downtown Memorial · cases near this airport · 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 · registry record · 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 |
Photographs from the investigation 8 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Main Wreckage (Owner’s Photo)
Photo 2 – Main Wreckage (Owner’s Photo)
Photo 3 – Main Wreckage (Owner’s Photo)
Photo 4 – Main Wreckage (Owner’s Photo)
Photo 5 – Fuel Tank Damage (NTSB Photo)
Photo 6 – Main Rotor Hub and Mast (NTSB Photo)
Photo 7 – Main Rotor Blade (NTSB Photo)
Photo 8 – Tail Rotor Blade (NTSB Photo)The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
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 · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N211CJ on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C2C 6 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Spartanburg Downtown Meml/Simpson Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in South Carolina 1,036 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- South Carolina 3,112 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA17LA256.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.