Mcdonnell Douglas MD-600 accident near Thermal, California, May 28, 1996
On May 28, 1996 at about 2:11 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-600 (helicopter), registered N600RN, was destroyed in an accident near Thermal, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inadequate design of the stress limits for cyclic control of the helicopter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 1996 · about 2:11 pm local time
- Place
- Thermal, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-600
- Registration
- N600RN · no longer on the register · serial RN001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was part of an engineering test flight series to complete the Part 27 certification for a new rotorcraft. The specific test point was part of a flight strain survey and involved cyclic control reversals. The pilot had set the parameters and executed the cyclic control inputs as planned. Almost simultaneous with the aft movement of the cyclic there was a loud noise and immediate vibrations in the aircraft and the controls. A pilot in the chase aircraft informed the pilot that a main rotor blade had struck and severed the tail boom. A power off autorotation was accomplished without the tail rotor system. The resultant hard landing was onto a pile of dry brush which was ignited by the hot engine exhaust. The brush fire destroyed the aircraft.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,191 hours in all; 1,095 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 8,000 as pilot in command; 5,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 39 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 15, 1995; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C47 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TRM CA at 1:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 pm from TRM, 4 miles away
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.
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.