# Accident 19970518314359A: Bell 206B, Hilo, HI, May 18, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 18, 1997, 11:45 local time
- Place: Hilo, HI
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: DCBA
- Location: 19.6909° N, 155.0799° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=19.6909&lon=-155.0799&mi=10
- Aircraft: N98AW, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N98AW-1998-01-07) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206B (registry code 1181511, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- Reported engine: ALLSN 250C20J
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 653 total, 50 in this make and model, 19 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX97LA185](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA185) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970518314359A

## Narrative

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

ON MAY 18, 1997, ABOUT 1145 HOURS HAWAIIAN STANDARD TIME, A BELL 206B HELICOPTER, N98AW, COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN 21 MILES NORTH-NORTHWEST OF HILO, HAWAII. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND AT 0815 HOURS ON MAY 20 AFTER BEING REPORTED OVERDUE ON A COMPANY FERRY FLIGHT FROM KONA TO HILO. THE ACCIDENT SITE IS AT THE 6,500 FOOT LEVEL ON THE EASTERN SLOPE OF THE MAUNA KEA VOLCANO. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND THE SOLO COMMERCIAL PILOT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE PILOT HAD FILED A COMPANY VISUAL FLIGHT PLAN, BUT OBTAINED NO PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING AND WAS NOT RATED FOR INSTRUMENT FLIGHT. METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS ALONG HE INTENDED ROUTE OF FLIGHT WERE VARIABLE FROM VISUAL TO INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS WITH A 7,000-FOOT OVERCAST OVERLAYING THE DESTINATION AND EASTERN PORTION OF THE ROUTE. A FIRST OFFICER FOR HAWAIIAN AIRLINES STATED TO A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION INSPECTOR THAT HE AND THE CAPTAIN OF FLIGHT 381 OBSERVED A HELICOPTER 15 TO 20 MILES WEST OF HILO ON TOP OF THE OVERCAST AT 7,500 FEET AT APPROXIMATELY 1135 ON MAY 18, AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE SEARCHING FOR A VISUAL PATH THROUGH THE CLOUDS. THE FIRST OFFICER FURTHER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO HOLES IN THE CLOUDS THAT HE COULD SEE, AND THAT HILO WAS UNDER A SOLID OVERCAST AT THAT TIME.

## 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 LAX97LA185](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA185), May 18, 1997: Bell 206B (N98AW), Hilo, HI, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the noninstrument-rated pilot flew into instrument conditions and failed to maintain adequate terrain clearance, while attempting to descend through an overcast. The adverse weather conditions and…

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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