Bell 230 accident near Albert Lea, Minnesota, August 19, 1994
On August 19, 1994 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Bell 230 (helicopter), registered N230EM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Albert Lea, Minnesota (Albert Lea Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO EXECUTE THE PROPER APPROACH AND THE ENSUING SETTLING WITH POWER. FACTORS WERE THE TAILWIND, AND THE CONGESTION AROUND THE AIRPORT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1994 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Albert Lea, Minnesota · Albert Lea Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 230 · all 230s on the register
- Registration
- N230EM · no longer on the register · serial 23011
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF A MEDICAL EVACUATION HELICOPTER WAS MANEUVERING THE HELICOPTER TO LAND ON THE AIRPORT RAMP TO PICK UP A PATIENT FROM THE AWAITING AMBULANCE. IN ORDER TO AVOID OVERFLYING TREES, A HANGAR, AND AN UNTIED AIRPLANE, THE PILOT EXECUTED A STEEP APPROACH AT LOW AIRSPEED WHILE SIDE SLIPPING THE HELICOPTER TO MAINTAIN ALIGNMENT ON A TRACK OF 175 DEGREES. WHEN THE PILOT BEGAN TO ADJUST THE COLLECTIVE TO ARREST HIS RATE OF DESCENT, AND SLOW HIS RATE OF CLOSURE, THE RPM DROPPED AND THE AIRCRAFT MADE AN UNUSUAL NOISE ACCOMPANIED WITH AIRFRAME SHUTTERING. THE PILOT REDUCED COLLECTIVE PITCH AND LOWERED THE NOSE IN AN ATTEMPT TO EXECUTE A RUNNING LANDING TO A GRASS AREA ADJACENT TO THE INTENDED LANDING AREA. THE HELICOPTER LANDED HARD AND BOUNCED TWICE. THE LEFT LANDING GEAR CROSSTUBE COLLAPSED WHEN THE HELICOPTER CONTACTED THE SHOULDER OF THE TAXIWAY. A POST-IMPACT FIRE STARTED WITHIN 2 MINUTES, CONSUMING THE TOP OF THE CABIN. THE WINDS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE FROM 310 DEGREES AT 15 KNOTS, GUSTING TO 20. EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER AND ENGINES DID NOT DISCLOSE ANY MECHANICAL ANOMALIES.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,727 hours in all; 206 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 10,224 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 536 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 12, 1994; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C30G/2 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RST Rochester MN at 7:54 pm
- Destination: AEL MN
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:20 pm from AEL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 |
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.