- Date
- July 22, 1991, 16:25 local (23:25 UTC)
- Place
- Toutle, WA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 2 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N276KABell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910722029069A
- Case key
- 41331
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed and correct for the right yawing condition. Factors to the accident were: inadequate compensation for wind conditions, diverted attention, and lack of total expereince in type of aircraft.
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
During a local sight-seeing flight, the pilot initiated a right descending turn to view a herd of elk near a dry river bed. The passengers stated that the first turn was normal; however, the helicopter continued to turn which accelerated with each rotation until the helicopter collided into the dry river bed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N276KA
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1949
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Intermountain Air Service
- Registered owner
- Intermountain Air Service
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
- 64
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,964 total · 19 in this make and model · 1,717 as pilot in command · 66 in the last 90 days · 43 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.