Bell 407 accident near Hurst, Texas, April 27, 2004
On April 27, 2004 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Bell 407 (helicopter), registered N407BP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hurst, Texas (Bell Hurst Training Facility airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's excessive flare prior to touchdown during the practice autorotation which resulted in the tailboom stinger striking the ground. A contributing factor was the flight instructor's delay to take remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 2004 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hurst, Texas · Bell Hurst Training Facility · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 407 · all 407s on the register
- Registration
- N407BP · registry record · serial 53355
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a recurrent training flight, the 1,413-hour commercial pilot who was receiving the training, and was at the controls, initiated a full-touchdown practice autorotation in the single engine helicopter. During the landing "flare," just prior to touchdown, the helicopter’s pitch attitude became "excessively" nose high. Subsequently, the tailboom stinger struck the ground, which resulted in structural damage to the tailboom. The 13,200-hour CFI stated that he was "unable to correct the aircraft attitude" before the stinger struck the ground. The helicopter was operating normally during the flight, and post-accident examination of the flight controls did not reveal anomalies that could have contributed to 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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,200 hours in all; 750 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,413 hours in all; 107 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,222.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 23, 2004; 2,215.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250C47B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OTE2 Hurst TX at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from DFW, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
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.