# Accident 20200808013889A: Bell 206B, Marathon, TX, August 8, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 8, 2020, 12:09 local time
- Place: Marathon, TX
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Location: 30.1917° N, 103.2103° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.1917&lon=-103.2103&mi=10
- Aircraft: N284S, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N284S-2021-04-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206B (registry code 1181511, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250 SER 250HP (registry code 03002, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-ser-250hp) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- Reported engine: ALLISON 250 SER 250HP
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 21,000 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN20LA328](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA328) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200808013889A

## Narrative

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

ON AUGUST 8, 2020, AT APPROXIMATELY 1209 CST, A BELL 206B HELICOPTER BEARING REGISTRATION NUMBER N284S WAS CONDUCTING A WILD ANIMAL SURVEY APPROXIMATELY 47 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MARATHON, TEXAS NEAR THE US/MEXICO BORDER.  THE HELICOPTER WAS BEING OPERATED ON A BUSINESS FLIGHT.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.  HELICOPTER WAS DESTROYED AS A RESULT OF IMPACT WITH TERRAIN AND POST IMPACT FIRE.  THERE WERE THREE PASSENGER FATALITIES AND PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED.  THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM ALPINE, TEXAS ON AUGUST 8, 2020 AT APPROXIMATELY 0900 CDT.

DURING AN INTERVIEW ON 8/27/2020 PILOT STATED THERE WAS ALSO AN INADVERTENT DISCHARGE OF A WEAPON WHILE CONDUCTING ANIMAL SURVEY.  IT CAME FROM THE LEFT REAR PASSENGER. HE CONFIRMED THE MUZZLE WAS POINTED STRAIGHT OUT AND DIDN'T THINK IT WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR OR IF IT HIT A MAIN ROTOR BLADE.

## 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 CEN20LA328](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA328), Aug 8, 2020: Bell 206 (N284S), Marathon, TX, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The in-flight loss of helicopter control for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

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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