- Date
- February 23, 1982, 21:35 local (Feb 24, 1982, 04:35 UTC)
- Place
- Watrous, NM
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2272DBell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 23, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820223005119A
- Case key
- 69195
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
The helicopter struck power and communication lines after taking off at night. After hitting the lines, it crashed into a railroad grade and bridge. The crash site was about one mile from the departure point. An inspection of the engine revealed no preimpact malfunction. It was noted that the circuit breakers for the fuel boost pump and the master caution systems were open. A toxicological check of the pilot's blood revealed 266 mg percent of ethyl alcohol.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2272D
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3551
- Airframe hours
- 164
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Doolittle Enterprises Inc.
- Registered owner
- Doolittle Enterprises Inc.
- Departed
- Doolittle Ranch, NM
- Destination
- Albuquerque, NM
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 2,750 total · 95 in this make and model · 95 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 113 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LVS, 25 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.