Bell 206A accident near Twin Falls, Idaho, November 21, 2007
On November 21, 2007 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Bell 206A (helicopter), registered N123SD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Twin Falls, Idaho (Joslin Field). It was a personal 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 misjudged the flare which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 2007 · about 7:00 pm local time · cases in 2007
- Place
- Twin Falls, Idaho · Joslin Field · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206A · all 206As on the register
- Registration
- N123SD · no longer on the register · serial MB-1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot indicated that the purpose of the flight was to finish the post annual flight check and to check the autorotational rpm during a simulated engine out condition. The pilot was flying in the left seat and there was an observer in the right seat. He entered a 180-degree autorotation and at 70 feet above ground level, began a gradual flare. During the flare, the helicopter contacted the asphalt surface of the taxiway. The helicopter hopped and then came to a stop. The pilot initiated another pattern and power recovery autorotation. He then hover taxied to the maintenance hangar ramp area and performed a normal shutdown. Post flight inspection revealed a wrinkle in the tail boom.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,531 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 73 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TWF Twin Falls ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from TWF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N123SD the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N123SD: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Bell 206 JetRanger and LongRanger 1,453 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Bell 3,080 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B 113 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Joslin Fld/Magic Valley Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 287 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,199 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N123SD 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA08CA037.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.