- Date
- July 24, 1984, 11:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- Dallas, TX
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N16981Bell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 21136
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
Witnesses observed the helicopter circling a 523 ft, free standing, communications tower. After circling several times, helicopter passed close to the tower & a main rotor blade struck it at the 451 ft level. The outboard portion of the rotor blade separated as well as some portions of the tower, including a x-brace. The helicopter then spun & tumbled to the ground. It impacted in a nose-low, inverted attitude & burned. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16981
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2347
- Airframe hours
- 5,109
- Engine
- Detr. Diesel 250-C-20B, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Registered owner
- City Of Dallas
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- RBD · Dallas, TX
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 7,689 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAL, 5 nm away