Bell 206B accident near Mcminnville, Oregon, January 15, 2001
On January 15, 2001 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N58WW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mcminnville, Oregon (Mc Minnville Muni 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
The pilot's failure to apply adequate power during a practice autorotation. A factor contributing to the accident was a rough/uneven area on the asphalt landing surface.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 2001 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Mcminnville, Oregon · Mc Minnville Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N58WW · no longer on the register · serial 1495
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a telephone interview and a subsequent written statement, the instructor pilot reported that she and the student pilot were practicing power recovery autorotations. During the fifth practice autorotation, while descending through an altitude of approximately 200 feet AGL, the instructor pilot increased throttle and collective in an effort to slow the helicopter's decent rate and recover from the autorotation. Shortly thereafter, the pilot noted that the main rotor RPM was not increasing and that she had inadvertently applied only partial power for the recovery. The instructor pilot lowered collective, increased power and performed a straight-in run-on landing. The helicopter touched down 3-4 feet beyond the numbers on runway 35. During the run-on landing, the helicopter encountered a rough/uneven spot on the runway surface and came to an abrupt stop.
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: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,835 hours in all; 357 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command; 1,278 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 28, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 237 hours in all; 95 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 50 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 11, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,968 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 14, 2000; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UAO Aurora OR at 7:05 pm
- Destination: MMV Mcminnville OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,676 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 332° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,200 ft; a few clouds at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.45 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MMV
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.