What happened
On September 26, 2024, at approximately 15:40 Pacific daylight time, a Bell 206L, registration N9984K, was involved in an accident near Fern Prairie, Washington. The helicopter was operating as a Part 91 repositioning flight, traveling from a remote landing zone toward the Fly JLA Airport (OR72) in Boring, Oregon.
While cruising at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet above ground level, the pilot reported that the aircraft experienced a severe vertical hop and began to shake violently. In response to the instability, the pilot initiated an emergency descent. The vibrations subsided during the descent, allowing the pilot to perform a normal landing in an open field. The pilot was not injured.
Upon exiting the aircraft, the pilot discovered substantial damage to the helicopter's tail boom.