De Havilland DHC-6-300 N76GC
18 June 1986 · Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 18 June 1986 at about 16:33 local time, a De Havilland DHC-6-300 registered N76GC, operated by Grand Canyon Helicopter, was involved in an accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States. 25 people were on board and 25 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 16:33
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-6-300
- Registration
- N76GC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Grand Canyon Helicopter
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Grand Canyon → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DCA86AA028
People
25 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AT ABOUT 0933 MST, DEHAVILLAND DHC-6, N76GC, (OWNED & OPERATED BY CANYON AIRLINES) & BELL 206B, N6TC, (OPERATED BY HELITECK) COLLIDED WHILE ON SIGHTSEEING FLTS OVER THE GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK. AFTER COLLIDING IN FLT, BOTH ACFT CRASHED & BURNED IN THE TONTO PLATEAU/CRYSTAL RAPIDS AREA. DRG THE INV, NO REASON WAS FND TO EXPLAIN WHY NEITHER FLT CREW WAS ABLE TO SEE & AVOID THE OTHER ACFT. THE ACDNT OCCURRED IN AN AREA WHERE THE DHC-6 MAY HAVE BEEN IN A TURN. THE BELL 206B WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AN INTERCOM OR PUBLIC ADDRESS SYS TO COMMUNICATE WITH PASSENGERS; THUS, THE PLT MAY HAVEPERIODICALLY TURNED HIS HEAD DRG FLT TO NARRATE THE TOUR. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE FAA FAILED TO EXERCISE ITS OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITY OVR FLT OPNS IN THE GRAND CANYON AIRSPACE & THAT THE NATIONAL PARK SVC INFLUENCED THE SELECTION OF ROUTESBY THE SCENIC OPERATORS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE MODIFICATION & CONFIGURATION OF THE ROTARY-WING ROUTES RESULTED IN THEIR INTERSECTING WITH THE ROUTES OF GRAND CANYON AIRLINES NEAR CRYSTAL RAPIDS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Havilland DHC-6-300 DHC-6-300 | N76GC | Grand Canyon Helicopter | Destroyed |
| Bell 206B 206B | N6TC | Helitech Inc. | Destroyed |
Other De Havilland DHC-6 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Feb 1986 | De Havilland DHC-6 | Mekoryuk, Alaska, United States | ERA Helicopters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 29 Nov 1986 | De Havilland DHC-6 | San Juan | Eastern Metro Express | No injuries | - |
| 12 Mar 1985 | De Havilland DHC-6-300 | Barter Island, Alaska, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 1985 | De Havilland DHC-6-200 | Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States | Mountain Air Cargo | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 1987 | De Havilland DHC-6-300 | Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1987 | De Havilland DHC-6 | Palmdale, California, United States | Resort Commuter Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 1986 | Schweizer SGS2-33A | Sun City, Arizona, United States | Michael W. Mullane | No injuries | - |
| 11 Nov 1986 | Cessna T210N | Buckeye, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 1986 | Piper PA-18-150 | Chandler, Arizona, United States | James D. Vaughan | No injuries | - |
| 19 Apr 1986 | Piper PA-25-235 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | RAY Couliette | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 1986 | Grumman G-164-3 | Casa Grande, Arizona, United States | Al-Don Dusting Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 1986 | Air Tractor AT301 | Gilbert, Arizona, United States | Aero Spray, Inc. | No injuries | - |