No fatalities

BELL 206 A accident at Raleigh, NC, 8 Nov 2020

Raleigh, NC, United States

On November 8, 2020, a BELL 206 A operated by North Carolina State Highway Patrol was involved in an aviation accident near Raleigh, NC. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's loss of helicopter control after entry into vortex ring state, which resulted in main rotor blade contact with the tailboom, and impact with the ground. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

Probable cause

The pilot's loss of helicopter control after entry into vortex ring state, which resulted in main rotor blade contact with the tailboom, and impact with the ground.

— NTSB Determination

Contributing factors

PilotDescent/approach/glide path — Not attained/maintained