2016 Bell 407 accident near Hofgeismar

Incident Overview and Flight Details On June 26, 2016, a Bell 407 helicopter was involved in an accident near Hofgeismar, Germany. The aircraft was on a planned ferry flight from Assen, Netherlands, to Ingolstadt-Manching, with a scheduled fuel stop at Kassel-Calden. The pilot, a 56-year-old commercial helicopter pilot with over 5,000 hours of experience, reported light torque fluctuations and a drop in main rotor speed to approximately 94% at 16:05 local time. In response to the power loss, the pilot initiated an autorotation and directed the helicopter toward a suitable emergency landing field. During the flare, the pilot spotted an overhead power line and pulled the aircraft over it. As the helicopter slid with reduced rotor speed, the main rotor struck the tail boom, causing severe damage to the aircraft. The pilot shut down the engine manually after landing and exited the helicopter uninjured. The aircraft was found in a slightly sloping grain field between Friedrichsdorf and Hofgeismar, with the tail boom severed and the tail rotor and vertical fins detached. The engine, a Rolls-Royce M250-C47B, was later found to have a fractured No. 5 bearing separator and damaged holding rings, leading to the loss of axial and radial positioning of the power turbine. The engine was sent to the manufacturer in the United States for further investigation under the supervision of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).