- Date
- October 19, 1988, 14:24 local (20:24 UTC)
- Place
- Deckers, CO
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N99TVBell 206L-3
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 8, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881019048649A
- Case key
- 17567
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
While on a corporate flt thru a canyon in marginal wx conds, the helicopter collided with the static portion of a power transmission line & crashed. The acdnt occurred where a 2,554 ft span of the power line crossed the south platte river. The power line (with less than 150 ft mean height above the terrain) was not marked, nor was it required to be marked, although spherical markers had already been scheduled for instln on this span. According to local media plts, the plt of N99TV was familiar with the area & was aware of the power line. The nearest witness (abt 1-1/2 mi from the crash site) saw the helicopter pass overhead before it crashed. According to this witness, there was reduced visibility in the area with light rain. Hikers in the area rprtd rain, hail, high winds & reduced visibility with mtn tops obscured.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99TV
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 51116
- Airframe hours
- 1,952
- Engine
- Allison 250-C30P, 650 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- Kusa Tv, doing business as Kusa Tv, Channel 9
- Registered owner
- Kusa Television
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 27, 1988 · 92 hours before
- Departed
- OV2 · Salida, CO
- Destination
- APA · Englewood, CO
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 6,212 total · 405 in this make and model · 5,083 as pilot in command · 121 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N99TV · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.