Bell 206B accident near Decatur, Texas, February 18, 2004
On February 18, 2004 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N16MV, was destroyed in an accident near Decatur, Texas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 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 control of the helicopter during liftoff after encountering dynamic rollover. A contributing factor was the rough and uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 18, 2004 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Decatur, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N16MV · no longer on the register · serial 4040
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During lift off from soft uneven terrain, the rear portion of the helicopter's right main skid came in contact with the ground resulting in a dynamic rollover. The pilot reported that the terrain he departed from was "clumpy and lumpy with ruts of grass approximately 1 to 2 feet in height." As he started to lift the helicopter off the ground, he made a slow ascent rate. When the skids were about 1 foot above the ground, he said, "the helicopter stopped for a split second as if something had caught some portion of the right side of the helicopter and the helicopter began a slight lateral roll to the right." The pilot further reported that he recognized the problem too late as he applied full left cyclic and lowered the collective after the helicopter exceeded the critical angle of bank into the low skid to a point where the situation was unrecoverable, and it rolled 90 degrees to the right. No mechanical deficiencies with the engine or airframe were noted. The Rotorcraft Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-21), page11-7, described dynamic rollover as, "the pivoting around a skid or landing gear wheel of a helicopter causing it to reach its critical rollover angle. Beyond this point, main rotor thrust continues the roll and recovery is impossible."
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,780 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 1,740 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 28, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,258.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 3, 2004; 37.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C20J (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: U.S. Forestry Services
The flight
- Departed from: Decatur TX at 7:30 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 13 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 7:28 pm from LUD, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.