Amateur-built BV-107 II accident near Canby, Oregon, October 4, 1996
On October 4, 1996 at about 7:15 pm local time, a amateur-built BV-107 II (helicopter), registered N196CH, was destroyed in an accident near Canby, Oregon. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of maintenance personnel to install a cotter pin in a clevis bolt in the flight control system, which resulted in the aft directional and lateral control output pushrod to become disconnected from a bellcrank in the forward portion of the first stage mixing unit. A factor relating to the accident was the use of an improper bellcrank, which was wider in the clevis area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 1996 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Canby, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BV-107 II
- Registration
- N196CH · registry record · serial 407
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Boeing Model BV-107-II departed on a maintenance check flight with 1.4 hrs total flight time after conversion from a Model HKP-4 per FAA Project #TDO639NY-R. About 37 min later, witnesses saw the rotorcraft moving erratically & tumbling out of control. Postcrash exam of the rotorcraft's flight control system revealed a disconnect between the lower bearing end of the aft directional and lateral control pushrod & the inboard clevis of the forward mixing unit section bellcrank. A bolt, consistent with hardware for that connection, was found in the control closet area. An improper part (collective bellcrank, PN 107C2606-8) was found in place of the required lateral bellcrank (PN 107C2606-9). Clevis width of the -8 part was slightly larger than the -9 part; thus, the clevis bolt was not long enough to allow a cotter pin to be properly installed through the nut & bolt with the required washers (2 thick & 1 thin) installed. To compensate (allow for installation of the cotter pin), 2 thin washers were used in place of the 2 thick and 1 thin washers. Metallurgical exam of the bolt revealed evidence that a nut had been applied to the threaded end, but there was no evidence that a cotter pin had been inserted. No pre-accident engine malfunction or crew impairment was evident.
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, flight instructor, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 14,778 hours in all; 8,880 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 11,841 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,075 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, October 2, 1996; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 20,000 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ge T58-140-1A (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 3S2 Aurora OR at 6:38 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 14 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:47 pm from UAO, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.