N78BR is a 1988 Bell 206B (rotorcraft) with serial number 4001, registered in Three Forks, MT. Its FAA registration is valid and runs until Mar 31, 2030; the renewal window opens on Sep 30, 2029. It is powered by a Rolls-Royc 250-C20J rated at 420 hp. Its airworthiness certificate is in the standard class (normal), issued Jun 8, 2006. It is one of 790 206B aircraft in the FAA registry, 25 of them registered in Montana. About 31% of them were built after it. The NTSB accident database lists one record for this airframe since 2008, the latest on Jan 15, 2011.
Registration
- FAA status
- Valid registration
- Expires
- Mar 31, 2030
- Registrant type
- LLC
- Registered owner
- MONTANA AIR TANKERS LLC
- Location
- Three Forks, MT
- Local FAA office (FSDO)
- Helena FSDO (HLN FSDO) · (406) 441-5240
- Certificate issued
- Mar 15, 2023
- Last FAA action
- Mar 15, 2023
- Mode S code (hex)
- AA8E56
- Mode S code (octal)
- 52507126
- Official record
- registry.faa.gov
Aircraft
- Manufacturer
- BELL
- Model
- 206B
- Type certificate (TCDS)
- H2SW (Bell Textron Canada Limited)
- Year manufactured
- 1988
- Serial number
- 4001
- Aircraft type
- Rotorcraft
- Engine type
- Turbo-shaft
- Engine
- ROLLS-ROYC 250-C20J (420 hp)
- Engines / seats
- 1 / 5
- Weight class
- Up to 12,499 lb
- Airworthiness
- Standard since Jun 8, 2006
- Approved operations
- Normal
Public airports near Three Forks
| Airport | ID | Distance | Tower | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three Forks Three Forks, MT | 9S5 | 1 mi | Non-towered | 100LL |
| Bozeman Yellowstone International Bozeman, MT | KBZN | 21 mi | Towered | 100, 100LL, A |
| Townsend Townsend, MT | 8U8 | 31 mi | Non-towered | 100LL |
Straight-line distance from the registration city, from the FAA airport directory (NASR). The registry does not say where an aircraft is based.
NTSB accident and incident records
| Date | Place | Aircraft (as NTSB recorded it) | Damage | Highest injury | NTSB no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 15, 2011 | Three Forks, MT | Bell 206B3 this airframe | Substantial | None | WPR11CA101 |
From the NTSB aviation accident database (events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026), matched by N-number. An N-number can move between aircraft, so each row is checked against the serial number on the current registration.