- Date
- June 18, 1986, 09:33 local (16:33 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Canyon, AZ
- Injuries
- 25 fatal
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 7, 1988
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA reports
- 19860618087022A19860618087021A
- Case key
- 15855
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
At about 0933 MST, Dehavilland DHC-6, N76GC, (owned & operated by Canyon airlines) & bell 206B, N6TC, (operated by heliteck) collided while on sightseeing flts over the Grand Canyon national park. After colliding in flt, both acft crashed & burned in the tonto plateau/crystal rapids area. Drg the inv, no reason was fnd to explain why neither flt crew was able to see & avoid the other acft. The acdnt occurred in an area where the DHC-6 may have been in a turn. The bell 206B was not equipped with an intercom or public address sys to communicate with passengers; thus, the plt may haveperiodically turned his head drg flt to narrate the tour. There was evidence the FAA failed to exercise its oversight responsibility ovr flt opns in the Grand Canyon airspace & that the national park svc influenced the selection of routesby the scenic operators. Subsequently, the modification & configuration of the rotary-wing routes resulted in their intersecting with the routes of Grand Canyon airlines near crystal rapids.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N76GC
- Reported as
- de Havilland DHC-6-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 248
- Airframe hours
- 30,569
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-27, 715 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Grand Canyon Helicopter
- Registered owner
- Grand Canyon Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Transport
- Departed
- GCN · Grand Canyon, AZ
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
- Registration
- N6TC
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3114
- Airframe hours
- 608
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Helitech Inc.
- Registered owner
- Six Tc Corp.
- Departed
- Tusayan, AZ
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N76GC
- Age
- 27
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,970 total · 1,556 in this make and model · 5,000 as pilot in command · 290 in the last 90 days · 111 in the last 30 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N6TC
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 6,954 total · 164 in the last 90 days · 68 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Observed at
- GCN, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 2
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.