Bell UH 1H accident near Olympia, Washington, May 25, 2018
On May 25, 2018 at about 4:47 pm local time, a 1996 Bell UH 1H (helicopter), registered N111DR, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Olympia, Washington (Olympia Regional airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of tail rotor thrust due to the improper installation of the tail rotor assembly by maintenance personnel resulted in the pilot’s inability to maintain control of the helicopter as he began transition into forward flight from a hover, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the failure of company quality control personnel to identify the improper installation of the tail rotor assembly before certifying the helicopter for flight, and the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 2018 · about 4:47 pm local time
- Place
- Olympia, Washington · Olympia Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell UH 1H NO SERIES, built 1996 · all UH 1Hs on the register
- Registration
- N111DR · registry record · serial 64-13699
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the maintenance test flight was for a track and balance of the tail rotor and main rotor blades. The pilot reported that during his preflight check and walkaround, everything looked fine with no anomalies noted. After becoming airborne and performing a hover check, the pilot proceeded to transition to forward flight, when he experienced a loss of tail rotor thrust. This led to a near-vertical rotating descent and hard landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the tailboom and lower fuselage. On on-site examination found that both pitch change link bolts and the tail rotor pitch change horn were only finger tight and found no evidence of cotter pin installation. One of the two crosshead bolts found in the debris field showed thread wear damage but was observed to be relatively complete. The accident could have been prevented if, during the rigging process of the tail rotor assembly, the crosshead bolts and the tail rotor pitch change bolts had been properly torqued and cotter pins had been installed. Additionally, had company quality control personnel identified the improper installation of the tail rotor assembly before certifying the helicopter for flight, or had the pilot detected the missing cotter pins during his preflight inspection, the anomalies could have been corrected.
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
What happened, in order
- Part(s) separation from AC during initial climb defining event
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Installation › Maintenance personnel
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Post maintenance inspection › Maintenance personnel
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,124 hours in all; 89 in this make and model; 68 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 2,015 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 16, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 21,244 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 24, 2018; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming T53-L-13 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northwest Helicopters I INC
The flight
- Departed from: 0WN4 Olympia WA at 4:46 pm
- Destination: 0WN4 Olympia WA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 9:30 am from KOLM, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N111DR the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR18LA147.