Wednesday, May 07, 2025

Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV, N216MH, fatal accident occurred on April 10, 2025, near Jersey City, New Jersey

 This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board

The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.

Investigator In Charge (IIC): Leah Read

Additional Participating Entities:

Eddie Miller; FAA/AVP 110; Washington , DC 

Matthew Rigsby; FAA/AVP 110; Fort Worth, TX 

Jon Michael; Rolls Royce; Indianapolis, IN 

Ewan Tasker; Transportation Safety Board 

Canada Gary Howe; Bell Helicopter; Arlington, TX

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N8930N

Location: Jersey City, New Jersey
Accident Number: ERA25MA171
Date & Time: April 10, 2025, 15:15 Local
Registration: N216MH
Aircraft: Bell 206L-4 
Injuries: 6 Fatal

Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Aerial observation

On April 10, 2025, about 1515 eastern daylight time, a Bell 206L-4 helicopter, N216MH, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Jersey City, New Jersey. The pilot and five passengers were fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 air tour flight.

Preliminary Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) flight track data obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed the helicopter departed Downtown Manhattan/Wall Street Heliport (JRB), New York, New York, about 1458. The helicopter flew a teardrop pattern south of the Statue of Liberty, then proceeded north along the east side of the Hudson River adjacent to Manhattan, past the George Washington Bridge, where it performed a u-turn, then headed south along the New Jersey side of the river (figure. 1).

Figure 2 depicts the plot of the helicopter’s ADS-B-observed flight path for the final 1 minute of flight, with the reported time, altitude and groundspeed superimposed. As the helicopter approached the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers near Jersey City, New Jersey, it was at a geometric altitude between 625 and 650 ft. The helicopter’s altitude increased to 675 ft msl before it entered a rapid descent. The data ended at 1514:54.5 and the helicopter’s last observed altitude was 125 ft.

Several witnesses described hearing several loud “bangs” emanating from the helicopter before it broke up and descended into the river. Surveillance video (with accompanying audio) captured the helicopter traveling south before it suddenly separated into three major sections: fuselage (including the engine), main rotor system (including both main rotor blades, transmission and roof-beam structure), and the tail boom (including the tail rotor) (figure 3).

The fuselage came to rest, inverted, north of the Holland Tunnel ventilation towers where the water depth was about 6 ft. The main rotor and tail boom sections were found north of the fuselage and were submerged to a depth of about 30 ft. Debris was also recovered from the surface of the river and from a rooftop near the Hoboken, New Jersey, transit building.

The helicopter was not equipped with any video or data recording devices. Photos of the pilot taken just before the helicopter departed indicated that he was wearing computer-augmented sunglasses, which had video and audio recording capability. The sunglasses were not recovered.

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for rotorcraft-helicopter and instrument helicopter. He held a current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued first-class medical certificate, and as of March 29, 2025, had logged 790.2 total hours of flight experience, of which, 48.6 hours were in the same make and model as the accident helicopter. The pilot worked a 10 days on/10 days off schedule and the accident flight was his first day back after having 10 days off. The accident flight was the eighth tour flight of the day for the accident helicopter, and all of those flights were operated by the pilot.

Initial review of the helicopter’s maintenance records revealed the most recent inspection was an “event 2” of a progressive 300-hour inspection and 100-inspection conducted on February 27, 2025. At that time, the helicopter airframe accrued 12,975 total hours of operation, and the engine had accrued a total of 23,305 hours of operation. At the time of the accident, the helicopter had been operated about 50 hours since the inspection.

Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at JRB at the time of the accident. The surface observation taken at 1456 included broken clouds at 7,500 ft above ground level, wind from 150° at 10 knots gusting to 18 knots with variable wind between 120° and 190°, and 10 statute miles visibility. A peak wind of 36 knots from 260° was recorded at 1423.

The wreckage was recovered from the river and retained for further examination.

Cessna 310R, N8930N, fatal accident occurred on April 11, 2025, near Boca Raton, Florida

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board

The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.

Investigator In Charge (IIC): Kurt Gibson

Additional Participating Entities:

Casey Love; Textron Aviation; Wichita, KS 

Julie Crowell; Continental Aerospace Technologies; Mobile, AL 

Michael Valdez; FAA/FSDO; Miramar, FL

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N8930N

Location: Boca Raton, Florida
Accident Number: ERA25FA173
Date & Time: April 11, 2025, 10:23 Local
Registration: N8930N
Aircraft: Cessna 310R 
Injuries: 3 Fatal

Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On April 11, 2025, at 1023 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 310R, N8930N, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Boca Raton, Florida. The two pilots and the passenger were fatally injured, and one person on the ground sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The accident flight was the first flight after the airplane’s annual inspection had been completed. The airplane departed from the Boca Raton Airport (BCT), Boca Raton, Florida, and was destined for the Tallahassee International Airport (TLH), Tallahassee, Florida. A portion of the airplane’s taxi and departure were captured by airport surveillance video. The video of the taxi revealed that the airplane made several left and right turns as it transitioned to the runup area and runway. The video of the airplane’s takeoff revealed that the airplane maintained the centerline of the runway during the takeoff roll. Shortly after rotation, the airplane yawed to the left and continued in a left turn until the airplane went out of view. The airplane then momentarily reentered the camera frame, as it continued in a left yaw and left turn. 

Several witnesses captured videos of the airplane while in flight. The videos depicted the airplane in a left yaw at a low altitude. Audio from the videos were consistent with both engines operating.

Preliminary ADS-B data revealed that immediately after takeoff, at 1012, the airplane drifted to the left, followed by a left 180° turn, followed by a left 360° turn. The airplane continued making several left 360° turns; the last data point was on the airplane’s 9th turn at 1022 and was 273 ft south of the initial impact point. According to preliminary air traffic control recordings, one of the pilots reported that they were having a problem with the airplane’s rudder and that they could only make left turns.

The airplane’s initial impact point was identified to be several trees in the median of a road. The airplane then impacted the road, and the wreckage path continued until the main wreckage site, which was on a set of railroad tracks, about 370 ft from the initial impact point. The furthest piece of wreckage was identified as the left engine and was found 320 ft past the main wreckage location. The wreckage was highly fragmented, and there was a postimpact fire. The fuselage, including the cockpit, sustained significant thermal damage from the postimpact fire, and most of the fuselage and cockpit had been consumed. All the major components of the airplane were located at the accident site.

The airplane’s rudder was found near the initial impact point and exhibited impact and thermal damage. The rudder trim tab remained attached to the rudder and displayed minor impact damage. Flight control cable continuity for the right rudder was confirmed and was continuous from the rudder pedal attach point to the rudder bellcrank attach bracket; however, the rudder bellcrank attach bracket had separated from the rest of the bellcrank. There were no visible signs of fretting between the rudder cable attach bracket and the rudder bellcrank. The left rudder cable was fractured near the rudder pedal attach point and at the rudder bellcrank. The separated cable ends exhibited a splayed, broomstrawed appearance, consistent with tension overload separation. Both cables were attached to their correct installation locations. The rudder trim actuator remained attached to the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder trim chain remained attached to the actuator’s sprocket. The rudder trim rod end extension was measured to be 1.5”, which corresponded to 21° trim tab trailing edge right (left rudder). Both rudder trim cables were fractured in the cockpit consistent with tension overload.

Flight control continuity for the elevator was established and the elevator control cables were continuous and remained attached to the fuselage elevator sector and the elevator bellcrank. The push/pull rod for the elevator bellcrank to the elevator was impact damaged and fractured, and the push/pull rod for the control column to the elevator sector was impact separated near the elevator sector. The elevator trim actuator displayed impact damage, and the elevator trim chain was detached from the actuator's sprocket. The elevator trim was measured to have a length of 2.0”, which corresponded to 11° trim tab trailing edge up (elevator down).

Flight control cable continuity was established for the right aileron from the wing bellcrank to the cockpit controls through breaks that were consistent with tension overload or recovery cuts. Flight control continuity for the left aileron was confirmed through breaks that were consistent with tension overload or recovery cuts. The aileron control cable chains remained attached to the control column and control wheel sprockets. The aileron trim actuator remained attached to its installation point and displayed impact damage signatures. The aileron trim chain remained attached to the aileron trim actuator sprocket and both aileron trim cables were separated and displayed tension overload signatures. The aileron trim actuator was measured to have an extension length of 1.9”, which corresponded to 13° trim tab trailing edge up (right roll).

Both engines separated from their installation points and displayed impact damage signatures. The left engine’s No.1 cylinder head had broken free from the cylinder barrel and the crankcase was impact-damaged near the bottom forward portion of the crankcase. The crankshaft could only be rotated a few degrees, and continuity was established between the crankshaft and the camshaft. The right engine’s crankshaft was unable to be rotated which was consistent with the observed impact damage. The Nos. 1- and 5-cylinder heads had broken free from their respective cylinder barrels and were found along the wreckage path. The crankcase had significant impact damage to the forward bottom section of the case, and the forward camshaft gear was visible through the broken crankcase and had partially fractured. The intact cylinders were inspected utilizing a lighted borescope, and the piston faces, cylinder walls, and valve heads displayed normal operating and combustion signatures.

The left propeller had separated from the crankshaft propeller flange and was found along the wreckage path. All three propeller blades remained within the propeller hub and displayed impact damage. One propeller blade displayed torsional deformation, leading edge polishing and there were several gouges in the trailing edge. A second propeller blade displayed aft, tip curling, polishing of the cambered side, and gouges in the trailing edge. The third propeller blade displayed aft bending deformation, torsional deformation, and S-bending deformation. The right propeller had separated from the crankshaft propeller flange and was found along the wreckage path. One of the propeller blades had separated from the propeller hub and was found along the wreckage path. The separated propeller blade displayed S-bending deformation and leading edge polishing. The second propeller blade displayed aft bending deformation, tip curling, and S-bending deformation. The third propeller blade displayed S-bending deformation and leading edge polishing.

The wreckage was retained for further examination.

Mooney M20F Executive, N7026V, fatal accident occurred on April 11, 2025, near Resilience, Tennessee

 This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board

The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.

Investigator In Charge (IIC): Eleazar Nepomuceno

Additional Participating Entities:

Angela Kachinski; Federal Aviation Administration; Nashville, TN
Peter Allison; Federal Aviation Administration; Nashville, TN
David Harsanyi; Lycoming; Houston, TX

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N7026V

Clear Ayr LLC

Location: Reliance, TN
Accident Number: WPR25FA126
Date & Time: April 11, 2025, 14:02 Local
Registration: N7026V
Aircraft: Mooney M20F
Injuries: 3 Fatal

Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On April 11, 2025, about 1402 eastern daylight time, a Mooney M20F, N7026V, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Resilience, Tennessee. The pilot, pilot-rated passenger and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

Preliminary ADS-B data showed that the airplane departed Lovell Field Airport (CHA), Chattanooga, Tennessee, about 1345, with an intended destination of Burlington/ Alamance Regional Airport (BUY), Burlington, North Carolina. Shortly after departure, the airplane turned to the northeast towards Ocoee-Cherokee National Forest. About 13 minutes after departure, radar contact was lost, and an alert notice (ALNOT) was issued about 3 minutes later (see figure 1). The wreckage was located by local fire and rescue about 2 hours the ALNOT was issued.

Witnesses at Chilhowee Glider Port (9A2), Benton, Tennessee, which is located about five nautical miles southwest of the accident site, reported that they encountered strong, gusting winds about one hour prior to the accident. They stated that they were compelled to park multiple aircraft and observed debris and garbage blowing across their runway. Additionally, they stated that a “weather cell” with precipitation was observed in the general vicinity of the accident site about the time of the accident.

The airplane impacted heavily wooded terrain about 38 nautical miles northeast of CHA, at an elevation of about 1,760 ft msl. The first point of contact was identified by broken pine limbs and tree strikes. The wreckage came to rest on sloped terrain, in between white pine trees. The engine, propeller, both wings, fuselage, and empennage were found within the main wreckage which spanned about 60 ft by 30 ft.

The fuselage and cockpit area were fragmented. The left wing was separated at the wing root and came to rest about five ft from the fuselage. The right wing came to rest against a tree above the engine and propeller, which were embedded within terrain. Both elevators were separated from the horizontal stabilizers and located within about 400 ft of the main wreckage. The left elevator was torn into 2 pieces, and the right was torn into 3 pieces

The wreckage was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.


Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

  • Aircraft Make: Mooney

  • Registration: N7026V

  • Model/Series: M20F

  • Aircraft Category: Airplane

  • Operator: CLEAR AYR LLC

  • Operating Certificate(s) Held: None


Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

  • Conditions at Accident Site:

  • Condition of Light:

  • Observation Facility, Elevation: KCHA 

  • Observation Time: 

  • Distance from Accident Site: 

  • Temperature/Dew Point: 17°C /8°C 

  • Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 6500 ft AGL 

  • Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 16 knots / None, 210° 

  • Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 10000 ft AGL 

  • Visibility: 10 miles 

  • Altimeter Setting: 29.97 inches Hg 

  • Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR 

  • Departure Point: Chatanooga, TN (CHA) 

  • Destination: Burlington, NC (BUY)


Wreckage and Impact Information

  • Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal

  • Aircraft Damage: Substantial

  • Passenger Injuries: 2 Fatal

  • Aircraft Fire: None

  • Aircraft Explosion: None

  • Latitude, Longitude: 35.263383,-84.50353 (estimated)


https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/200001/pdf