Bell 206B III accident near San Diego, California, April 16, 1996
On April 16, 1996 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Bell 206B III (helicopter), registered N2750F, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Diego, California (Montgomery Field). 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 student's failure to maintain adequate main rotor rpm and airspeed during a practice autorotation, and the instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 1996 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- San Diego, California · Montgomery Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B III · all 206B IIIs on the register
- Registration
- N2750F · no longer on the register · serial 2674
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While practicing touchdown autorotations, the helicopter landed hard on uneven terrain short of the intended touchdown point. The commercial pilot-rated student was demonstrating a autorotation with a turn to the runway. As he completed the turn and was aligning with the runway, the helicopter rotor rpm dropped to 70 percent. Halfway into the maneuver the flight instructor realized the helicopter was too low and slow to accomplish a power recovery and took control. The helicopter landed short of the runway in rough terrain. A postflight inspection of the helicopter revealed wrinkles in the tail boom. The pilot under instruction held a rotorcraft helicopter rating.
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: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,300 hours in all; 1,250 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 3,260 as pilot in command; 1,800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,647 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 7, 1996; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYF
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,402 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:48 pm from MYF, 1 miles away
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 N2750F 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.