Bell 206L-1 accident near Fort Worth, Texas, September 25, 1988
On September 25, 1988 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter), registered N1069Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas (Bhc Training Fac 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1988 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Worth, Texas · Bhc Training Fac
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N1069Q · no longer on the register · serial 45341
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RATED HELICOPTER PILOT WAS UNDERGOING RECURRENT TRAINING WITH AN INSTRUCTOR AT A TRAINING FIELD. DURING A PRACTICE AUTOROTATION TO A LANDING, THE HELICOPTER WENT INTO A HIGH SINK RATE WITH A LOW MAIN ROTOR RPM. THE HELICOPTER TOUCHED DOWN HARD IN A TAIL LOW ATTITUDE. THE REAR PORTIONS OF THE SKIDS WERE DAMAGED, AND THE TAIL BOOM SEPARATED FROM THE HELICOPTER.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,700 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 7,600 as pilot in command; 7,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,526 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 4,100 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C28B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bell Helicopter CORP.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 900 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N1069Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.