Bell 206B accident near Boise, Idaho, January 7, 2007
On January 7, 2007 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N1882, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boise, Idaho. It was an other work-use flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 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
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from tall brush during a low-hover pedal turn. A factor was the six foot-tall brush located adjacent to the area where the pilot was operating.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 7, 2007 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Boise, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1882 · no longer on the register · serial 3960
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After completing two local deer herding flights, the pilot landed the helicopter and waited about five minutes for the ground crew to be ready for him to start another herding flight. At the beginning of the third flight, he lifted off into a hover, and then performed a pedal-turn into the wind prior to entering translational lift. During the turn, the snow pad on one of the helicopter's skids caught in some tall brush, resulting in a dynamic rollover into the terrain. According to the pilot, there was no problem with the helicopter's flight controls, but he simply failed to see that there was tall brush ( approximately six feet high) behind and to the right of 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
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,389 hours in all; 3,217 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 11,389 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,074 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250/C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Boise ID at 6:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.