Bell 206A accident near Brutus, New York, January 5, 2000
On January 5, 2000 at about 7:08 pm local time, a Bell 206A (helicopter), registered N206GR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brutus, New York. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Was the pilot's failure to maintain directional control after encountering a loss of tail rotor effectiveness.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 5, 2000 · about 7:08 pm local time
- Place
- Brutus, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206A · all 206As on the register
- Registration
- N206GR · registry record · serial 615
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting an aerial observation of powerlines with three passengers onboard. The pilot stated he was heading westbound checking a cross arm at a slow hover. He then began to accelerate and turned east about 100 feet above the ground when a gust of wind pushed against the helicopter and the helicopter began to rotate to the right. The pilot attempted to accelerate into the wind to no avail and the aircraft 'corkscrewed' down into the ground. On the ground, the helicopter rolled on to its right side. Winds were reported out of the west at 280 degrees at 16 knots gusting to 22 knots 15 miles east of the accident site. No pre-impact deficiencies were reported with the engine or airframe.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,844 hours in all; 216 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 2,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,261 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 24, 1999; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250 C-20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PED Penn Yan NY at 6:00 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 16 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,400 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from SYR, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N206GR the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 IAD00LA015.