Eurocopter France SA330J accident near Lakeview, Oregon, February 28, 2007
On February 28, 2007 at about 11:25 pm local time, a Eurocopter France SA330J (helicopter), registered N330KW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lakeview, Oregon (Lakeview 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 dual student's failure to extend the landing gear during a simulated single-engine forced landing, and the flight instructor's failure to take remedial action to keep the aircraft from touching the runway surface without the landing gear extended.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 2007 · about 11:25 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeview, Oregon · Lakeview · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter France SA330J
- Registration
- N330KW · no longer on the register · serial 1418
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a simulated single-engine minimum ground run landing, the dual student forgot to extend the landing gear, and since the instructor did not notice the gear was still retracted, he did not take remedial action. Therefore, the helicopter touched down on its belly, driving the external load hook up into the airframe bulkhead structure in the area of the left hand transverse fuel tank. After he realized what had happened, the instructor pilot took control of the aircraft, lifted it off of the runway, lowered the landing gear, and set it back down on the wheels. They then shut the aircraft down and inspected for damage.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,400 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 3,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Crew member
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Last flight review: October 1, 2006
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 16,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Turbomeca Turmo IV C (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Evergreen Helicopters International, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: KLKV Lakeview OR at 10:20 pm
- Destination: KLKV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,306 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.