Bell 206 accident near Union City, Tennessee, November 8, 2017
On November 8, 2017 at about 5:40 pm local time, a 1986 Bell 206 (helicopter), registered N275AE, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Union City, Tennessee (None airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadvertent slope landing and attempted recovery, which resulted in an incipient dynamic rollover, mast bumping, and separation of the main rotor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 8, 2017 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Union City, Tennessee · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206 L3, built 1986 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N275AE · registry record · serial 51186
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, flight nurse, and flight paramedic were conducting a flight for a public relations event. None of the three crewmembers had previously landed at this landing zone (LZ). A company flight nurse was on the ground at the LZ informing the flight crew of obstacles in the area. The pilot conducted a low reconnaissance and initiated a steep approach into the LZ. All obstacles were observed and called out by crewmembers as they continued the approach. The terrain appeared to the crew to be flat in all directions. The pilot began to set the helicopter on the ground from a stabilized hover. As the pilot lowered the collective to set the skids on the ground, the skid toes and the forward half of the skids made ground contact; however, from just aft of the pilot’s seat, the terrain sloped downward at a 10°-to-15° angle. Once the collective was lowered to the bottom stop, the helicopter rocked backwards to a tail-low attitude. The pilot and crew felt the tail stinger make ground contact and assumed that the tail rotor had impacted the ground. The pilot then applied upward collective and forward cyclic, which forced the front of the skid toes tightly against the terrain. The application of upward collective resulted in the helicopter entering an incipient dynamic rollover, aggressively rolling to a 45°-to-60° nose-low attitude. The pilot applied aft cyclic to counter the nose low attitude, and mast bumping occurred when the droop (static) stops came in to contact with the mast. The main rotor then separated from the mast and departed the helicopter. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot’s attempted recovery following a slope landing, which resulted in incipient dynamic rollover, mast bumping, and separation of the main rotor.
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
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Abnormal runway contact during landing defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Mast bumping during landing
- Roll over during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Knowledge › Knowledge of geographic area › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven terrain › Awareness of condition
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,687 hours in all; 2,327 in this make and model
- Last flight review: November 1, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Cabin Crew
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Cabin Crew
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,103 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 24, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 4,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce M250-C30P (turboshaft); 6,361 hours total
- Operator: Air Evac Ems INC
The flight
- Departed from: None Troy TN at 5:33 pm
- Destination: Lawn Union City TN
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots, gusting 13
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from UCY, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 3 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA18LA020.