N525TA — 2015 Bell Helicopter Textron Inc 525

Aircraft record

Serial number

62001

Manufacturer

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc

Model

525

Year

2015

Category

Rotorcraft

Engine

Ge Ct7 Series

Registration

Deregistered

View the FAA registry record for N525TA →

Accident & incident history

1. DCA16FA199Jul 6, 2016Italy, TXFatal · 2 fatal

   A severe vibration of the helicopter that led to the crew's inability to maintain sufficient rotor rotation speed (Nr), leading to excessive main rotor blade flapping, subsequent main rotor blade contact with the tail boom, and the resultant in-flight breakup. Contributing to the severity and sustainment of the vibration, which was not predicted during development, were (1) the collective biomechanical feedback and (2) the attitude and heading reference system response, both of which occurred due to the lack of protections in the flight control laws against the sustainment and growth of adverse feedback loops when the 6-hertz airframe vibration initiated. Contributing to the crew's inability to maintain sufficient Nr in the severe vibration environment were (1) the lack of an automated safeguard in the modified one-engine-inoperative software used during flight testing to exit at a critical Nr threshold and (2) the lack of distinct and unambiguous cues for low Nr.

Registration timeline

Ownership and registration events for this airframe (the 2015 Bell Helicopter Textron Inc 525).

1. Dec 12, 2017deregistered — Bell Helicopter Textron Inc

Earlier aircraft on this N-number

The tail number N525TA was previously assigned to a different aircraft. A registration number can be reused across unrelated airframes over decades — these are not the 2015 Bell Helicopter Textron Inc 525 above.

• until Jun 6, 20072006 Cessna 525A (s/n 525A0318)

Frequently asked

Has N525TA been in an accident?

Yes. N525TA appears in 1 NTSB accident record, the most recent in 2016.

What kind of aircraft is N525TA?

N525TA is a 2015 Bell Helicopter Textron Inc 525 (rotorcraft), serial number 62001.

Has N525TA been in a fatal accident?

An NTSB record for N525TA (DCA16FA199) is classified with a fatal highest injury level.