- Date
- December 8, 1983, 14:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Canyon, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N113MLBell 206B III
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 23916
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 a cable while flying about 25 ft AGL in the Grand Canyon. The acft was on an aerial observation to survey and acquaint a passenger with the Arizona strip wilderness district. Phoenix fss highly recommends that plts not fly down into the Canyon. The cables were about 34 ft above the surface of the Colorado river and the helicopter went below the cable which contacted the main rotor mast and separated it from the fuselage. Since this accident cables in grands Canyon national park were marked wth orange balls.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N113ML
- Reported as
- Bell 206B III
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2709
- Airframe hours
- 2,869
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Action Jet Ranger Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 5, 1983 · 82 hours before
- Departed
- PGA · Page, AZ
- Destination
- SGU · St. George, UT
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,500 total · 2,015 in this make and model · 43,003 as pilot in command · 240 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GCN, 40 nm away