Bell 206B-III accident near Jacksonville, Florida, July 25, 2001
On July 25, 2001 at about 10:40 pm local time, a Bell 206B-III (helicopter), registered N313JP, was destroyed in an accident near Jacksonville, Florida. It was a public-use flight under public-use (government) rules. 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to recognize and correct for unanticipated right yaw/loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE) during an approach to hover at a low altitude, which resulted in a loss of control and the helicopter descending and colliding with a house and the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 2001 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B-III · all 206B-IIIs on the register
- Registration
- N313JP · registry record · serial 4292
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he started a descent into the area heading east into the wind, and down to 300 feet. He said he made several passes, and on the last pass he made a left turn, and had started turning to the right when the aircraft developed a fast yaw to the right, indicative of imminent loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE). The pilot said he immediately reduced collective and nosed the aircraft forward, and started losing altitude fast with no significant improvement in the yaw rate to the right. He said he pulled power to arrest the descent rate, and the yaw rate got faster, and he made a forced landing between two houses, pulling power at the bottom to arrest the descent rate. During the forced landing, the right skid touched down on the side of the roof, the aircraft then rolled left and came down to the ground. The pilot said that prior to the accident, there had been no mechanical failure or malfunction to the aircraft, or to any of its systems.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 255 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 1,450 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 7, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Other crew
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,334 hours in all; 1,265 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 1,184 as pilot in command; 82 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 4, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,913 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 19, 2001; 25.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C20J (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRG Jacksonville FL at 9:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from CRG, 15 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 N313JP 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.