Bell 206B accident near Cleveland, Ohio, June 25, 2005
On June 25, 2005 at about 5:02 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N1212N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cleveland, Ohio (Burke Lakefront Airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A failure of the main drive shaft for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a total loss of engine power. A factor was pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 2005 · about 5:02 pm local time
- Place
- Cleveland, Ohio · Burke Lakefront Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1212N · registry record · serial 4189
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was hovering the helicopter above an airport at 5,000 feet msl, when he heard a loud "bang." Witnesses on the ground also reported hearing the "bang," and a puff of white smoke was also observed. The helicopter yawed in a nose right direction, and pitched nose down. The pilot regained control of the helicopter about 1,500 feet msl, and subsequently performed an autorotation to a runway. The helicopter landed "hard," and the main rotor contacted the tail boom, separating it from the helicopter. Inspections of the helicopter following the accident revealed that the isolation mount had separated from the transmission and that the main drive shaft had separated. Examination of the main drive shaft, and its associated couplings, revealed failures consistent with an excessive angular displacement between the rotational axis of the drive shaft and the couplings. Examination of the helicopter's transmission compartment revealed damage to the structure around the main drive shaft and grease spray consistent with rotation prior to its failure. In addition, small pieces of metal and metallic dust were identified at the very front of the transmission deck.
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: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,127 hours in all; 719 in this make and model; 69 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 908 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,630 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 2005; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce Allison 250-C20-J (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Helicopters Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: BKL Cleveland OH
- Destination: BKL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24R, 6,198 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from BKL
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.
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 IAD05LA084.