Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 505 N505TZ

Summary

On 19 December 2025 at about 14:25 local time, a Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 505 registered N505TZ, operated by Bell Training Academy, was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 December 2025 at 14:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Bell South (XS04)

Coordinates

32.7484, -97.3206

Aircraft

Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 505

Registration

N505TZ

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2017

Engines

1

Operator

Bell Training Academy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN26LA065

2 people had minor injuries.

The flight instructor’s inadequate supervision during the approach and delayed remedial action, which resulted in a loss of control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The company’s chief flight instructor reported that during a hydraulic system training maneuver, the pilot receiving instruction established too high of a sink rate, and the helicopter bounced upon touchdown. The helicopter then yawed to the right and bounced a second time before starting a slide towards the edge of the runway. The pilot receiving instruction attempted to correct by pushing the collective full down, however, the flight instructor realized that the helicopter would not come to a stop before exiting the runway and attempted to lift the helicopter back into the air. Before the helicopter could lift off, the left skid contacted the grass, the helicopter rolled to the left, and the main rotor contacted the ground. The helicopter then rolled to the right and came to rest on its right side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor system, tail rotor system, and tail boom. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The chief flight instructor reported the accident could have been prevented if the flight instructor would have recognized the excessive rate of descent and made the necessary control inputs.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.