Bell 206L-3 crash near Picayune, MS, United States

On August 22, 2025, about 1130 central daylight time, a Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-3 helicopter, N17TL, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Picayune, Mississippi. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The purpose of the flight was to inspect a hangar being built for the operator at the Picayune Municipal Airport in Picacyune, Mississippi. The pilot stated that he does a few practice maneuvers during each flight and on this flight, he was practicing a “quick stop” simulated emergency procedure. At the conclusion of the maneuver, while the pilot was pulling up on the collective to recover, he heard the low rotor RPM warning horn sound. The pilot verified that the throttle control was at full RPM; however, he noticed that the helicopter was no longer responding to the collective control. The pilot chose to immediately enter an autorotation from about 50 ft and when the helicopter contacted the taxiway, the left skid collapsed, the helicopter skidded about 15 ft, and came to a stop upright which resulted in substantial damage to the tailboom. The accident was not reported to the NTSB until February 26, 2026. During the intervening period, the helicopter was sold for salvage by the accident owner’s insurance company, and the airframe was disassembled for repair by the new owner. Due to the current disposition of the airframe, examination is not feasible. The accident was not known to the FAA until the new owner attempted to register the helicopter with the FAA in January 2026. At the time of notification, only the Rolls-Royce 250-C30P turboshaft engine was able to be secured for further examination. The disposition of the turboshaft engine between the accident and its recovery for further examination could not be determined. The engine will be examined at a future date.