Bell 407 Safety Record

Complete NTSB accident and incident history. 148 events recorded from 1996 to 2026.

148

All Events

59

Incidents

20

Minor

15

Serious

44

Fatal (112 fatalities)

Date Location Reg# Severity Damage Probable Cause
Dec 15, 2025 Winchester, NV N404LL Incident substantial Investigation pending
Apr 10, 2024 Chicureo, CI CC-ATV Incident substantial Investigation pending
Mar 09, 2024 Mwachon, KE 5Y-PKI Incident substantial Investigation pending
Nov 16, 2023 Chesterfield, VA N26VA Incident substantial A hard landing, which resulted in a main rotor strike of the left vertical stablizer.
Nov 19, 2022 Searcy, AR N184SF Incident substantial The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the electrical box while repositioning.
Sep 25, 2021 Patterson, LA N662RL Incident substantial The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from a parked helicopter while hovering to reposition for takeoff.
Jun 22, 2021 Tampa, FL N512TP Incident substantial
The pilot’s improper landing flare while making a power off practice autorotative landing. Contributing was the decreased visual cues provided by the …

The pilot’s improper landing flare while making a power off practice autorotative landing. Contributing was the decreased visual cues provided by the recently paved runway during the night landing conducted with the aid of night vision goggles.

May 30, 2021 Siaya County, OF 5Y-PSM Incident substantial Investigation pending
Sep 15, 2020 Fort Worth, TX N489DM Incident substantial The flight instructor’s delay in rolling the throttle to the fly position during a practice autorotation maneuver that resulted in a hard landing.
Jun 24, 2020 Long Marston, UK N120HH Incident destroyed Investigation pending
Jan 22, 2020 Minot, ND N947LH Incident substantial The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from fencing around the landing pad during landing, which resulted in the tail rotor contacting the fence.
Jan 13, 2020 Lautaro, CI CC-AEC Incident substantial Investigation pending
Nov 28, 2018 West Bangkala, ID PK-JPB Incident substantial Investigation pending
May 02, 2017 Venice, LA N457PH Incident substantial
An in-flight separation of the tip block from the tail rotor blade due to an inadequate blade repair, which resulted in a rotor imbalance sufficient t…

An in-flight separation of the tip block from the tail rotor blade due to an inadequate blade repair, which resulted in a rotor imbalance sufficient to crack the gearbox attachment studs and gearbox support assembly, and inadequate postrepair test procedures, which failed to detect the inadequate adhesive bonding.

Jan 24, 2017 Fort Worth, TX N6040Y Incident substantial
The flight instructor's failure to prevent the engine/rotor overspeed condition during the demonstration maneuver and the excessive descent rate durin…

The flight instructor's failure to prevent the engine/rotor overspeed condition during the demonstration maneuver and the excessive descent rate during the emergency landing, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the engine/rotor overspeed condition was the flight instructor's failure to comply with the demonstration procedure.

Jun 26, 2016 Kassel, Hesse, Germany, GE D-HEAB Incident substantial Investigation pending
Nov 21, 2015 Justo Romero, NU HR-AWI Incident substantial Investigation pending
Nov 03, 2015 San Antonio, TX N496AE Incident substantial
The failure of the No. 3 tail rotor adapter and shaft due to a loss of torque on the retaining nut. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a req…

The failure of the No. 3 tail rotor adapter and shaft due to a loss of torque on the retaining nut. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a requirement to inspect the tail rotor assembly for security in the helicopter manufacturer's maintenance manual and the operator's approved aircraft inspection program.

Oct 30, 2015 Cameron, LA N420PH Incident substantial The pilot's failure to remove a main rotor blade tiedown, which resulted in substantial damage to a main rotor blade when the engine was started.
Sep 24, 2015 San Agustine Guatemala, GT TG-PDF Incident substantial Investigation pending
Jun 08, 2015 Pecan Island, LA N501PH Incident substantial The fatigue fracture of the tail rotor gearbox attachment studs, which resulted in a loss of tail rotor control and a subsequent hard landing.
Mar 05, 2015 Justin, TX N41BH Incident substantial Abnormal ground contact during an autorotation demonstration, resulting in a severed tailrotor driveshaft.
Nov 11, 2014 Viosca Knoll 989, USA N373RL Incident Engine power surges during takeoff for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident testing of the engine and the engine control unit.
May 30, 2014 Eugene Island 182A, USA N1197 Incident
The improper repair of the outer combustion case, which led to its ultimate failure due to the continued progression of a fatigue crack and resulted i…

The improper repair of the outer combustion case, which led to its ultimate failure due to the continued progression of a fatigue crack and resulted in a partial loss of engine power during takeoff.

May 03, 2014 Telluride, CO N407MH Incident substantial
The failure of the power turbine thrust (No. 5) bearing due to overheating as a result of oil starvation, which led to the engine failure. Also causal…

The failure of the power turbine thrust (No. 5) bearing due to overheating as a result of oil starvation, which led to the engine failure. Also causal to the accident was an undocumented repair to the gearbox cover oil delivery tube port during which an insert was threaded into the oil delivery tube port that subsequently restricted the oil flow to the power turbine thrust bearing.

Disclaimer: This data is sourced from the NTSB Aviation Accident Database. NTSB events reflect reported accidents and incidents and do not necessarily indicate a defect in the aircraft type. Many events involve pilot error, weather conditions, maintenance issues, or other factors unrelated to the aircraft design. This information is provided for research purposes only — consult official NTSB reports for complete details.
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