# Accident 19800819036799A: Bell 206L, Cortez, CO, August 19, 1980

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 19, 1980, 12:20 local time
- Place: Cortez, CO
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Pwr On Vertical Ldng/Rtrcrft
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Location: 37.3498° N, 108.5761° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Cortez, CO, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.3498&lon=-108.5761&mi=10
- Aircraft: N144MB (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206L
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 4,751 total, 464 in this make and model, 138 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN80FA056](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN80FA056) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19800819036799A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

HELICOPTER HIT BY STRONG GUST THAT MAY HAVE UNLOADED ROTORS, WHILE SLOWING FOR TOUCH DOWN. DROPPED 20 FT TO IMPACT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DEN80FA056](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN80FA056), Aug 19, 1980: Bell 206L (N144MB), Cortez, CO, substantial damage

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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