- Date
- July 12, 1985, 16:36 local (23:36 UTC)
- Place
- Page, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N38942Bell 206-B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850712030849A
- Case key
- 24523
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
On July 12, 1984, a bell 206B helicopter collided with a steel bridge 10 miles so of Page, AZ. The helicopter was being filmed in flt during the making of a movie. VMC existed at the time. The helicopter was destroyed and the plt and pax, an italian actor, were fatally injured. According to the witnesses and the film, the acft was returning to make another pass underneath the bridge and was proceeding toward the bridge in a straight and level flt attitude. When the acft passed through the arch of the bridge the main rotor blade struck the bridge. The acft separated in flt and crashed into the canyon below. The pilot's body was not recovered. A bottle of ionamin was found in his hotel room. Use of this drug should be contraindicated for 24 hours after its use because it may cause errors in judgement.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38942
- Reported as
- Bell 206-B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3189
- Airframe hours
- 1,567
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Ramsey Helicopters Service
- Registered owner
- Dennis F. Nasca
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · June 26, 1985 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- PGA · Page, 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 194 in the last 90 days · 52 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 2 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PGA, 10 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.