Bell 206L-1 accident near Orlando, Florida, April 25, 1998
On April 25, 1998 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter), registered N60WJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Orlando, Florida (Orlando Executive airport). 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
failure of the flight crew to maintain main rotor RPM during a landing touchdown, which resulted in the main rotor blades contacting the tailboom.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 1998 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Orlando, Florida · Orlando Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N60WJ · no longer on the register · serial 45276
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot flew for 1 hour 35 minutes in the airport area. During the flight, they performed training maneuvers, touchdown autorotations, hovering autorotations, and simulated tail rotor malfunctions. After returning to the ramp after the flight, company maintenance personnel found damage consistent with the main rotor blades contacting the tailboom. The CFI and student stated they did not know when the damage occurred and that they did not feel any vibration to suggest damage during the flight.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 14,970 hours in all; 110 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 14,950 as pilot in command; 5,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,160 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 21, 1998; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C28 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 4,638 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from ORL, 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.
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.