CircumFlightN407SJ accident
NTSB WPR25LA173 · 2025-06-13 · Bountiful, UT · near BTF
Docket — crew, injuries and powerplant
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, the helicopter was stored on a rolling dolly in a hangar. According to photographs provided by the pilot, when opened, the hangar door swings outward into the ramp area. When the pilot arrived at the hangar, he noticed the hangar door had been opened by another tenant of the hangar. The pilot rolled the dolly and helicopter into the ramp area, and decided to depart with the hangar door open after he estimated he had adequate clearance. The helicopter had ascended a few feet from the dolly when the main rotor blades struck the edge of the hangar door. The helicopter immediately yawed right and impacted the surface of the ramp, resulting in substantial damage to the main rotor and tailboom. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable cause
The pilot’s improper decision to depart with inadequate clearance from a hangar door. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident.
Circumstances
- Event type
- Accident
- Highest injury
- Minor
- Weather conditions
- Visual Meteorological Cond
- Light condition
- Day
- Sky condition
- NONE
- Ceiling (ft)
- 0
- Visibility (sm)
- 10
- Wind direction
- 0
- Temperature (F)
- 75
- Nearest airport
- Skypark Airport
- Distance from field
- 0.0
- Airport elevation
- 4237
Aircraft
| Registration | Make | Model | Damage | FAR part |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N407SJ | — | — | SUBS | 091 |
Sequence of events
| # | Occurrence | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Takeoff Collision during takeoff/land defining | Takeoff |