Probable cause
The pilot’s improper decision to depart with inadequate clearance from a hangar door.
NTSB analysis
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.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR25LA173 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jun 13, 2025
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Bountiful, Utah
- Nearest airport
- Skypark Airport (BTF)
- Highest injury
- Minor
- Minor injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Bell 407
- N-number
- N407SJ
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 2004
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.