Bell 206B N244WC
18 May 1986 · Maui, Hawaii, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 18 May 1986 at about 19:30 local time, a Bell 206B registered N244WC was involved in an accident near Maui, Hawaii, United States. 4 people were on board and 2 died, one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 19:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Maui, Hawaii, United States
- Coordinates
- 20.7703, -155.9899
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B
- Registration
- N244WC
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Observation
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Kahului → Kahului
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX86FJA06
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 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
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH POWERLINES WHILE CARRYING PASS'G ON A SIGHTSEEING FLT THROUGH A CANYON. THE WIRES ACROSS THE CANYON WERE EST TO BE 1700 LONG WITH HEIGHT AGL UNKNOWN. THE WIRES WERE UNMARKED AND WERE 1/2 IN DIA ALUMINUM. ONE OF THE PASSENGERS WAS FILMING THE SCENERY DURING THE FLT AND THE PLT LATER SAID HE THOUGHT THAT A BATTERY PACK FOR THE CAMERA HAD INTERFERED WITH THE COLLECTIVE CONTROL DURING HIS ATTEMPT TO AVOID THE POWERLINES. THE PASSENGER SAID THAT ALL THE EXTRA PHOTO EQUIPMENT WAS IN A BAG IN THE BACK COMPARTMENT. SOME CAMERA EQUIPMENT WAS FOUND OUTSIDE THE ACFT AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE BATTERY PACK WAS LATER PLACED BY THE COLLECTIVE CONTROL TO TRY TO DUPLICATE THE EVENT. THE ONLY WAY INTERFERANCE COULD HAVE OCCURRED WOULD BE TO HAVE THE PACK ON EDGE & FULL AFT NEAR THE COLLECTIVE CONTROL PIVOT POINT. THE EQUIPMENT FOUND OUTSIDE THE ACFT WAS PLACED INSIDE BY RESCUE PERSONNEL DURING THE RECOVERY OPERATION. THE PLT ALSO REPORTEDLY SAID 'HOW DID THAT HAPPEN' INDICATING HE NEVER SAW THE WIRES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Jul 1986 | Bell 206B | Pacific Ocean | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Aug 1986 | Bell 206L-1 | Grand Isle | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Sep 1986 | Bell 206B | Eugene Island | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 May 1986 | Bell 206B | Noman's Land, Massachusetts, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 20 Oct 1986 | Bell 206B III | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Nov 1986 | Bell 206B | Cincinnati, Ohio, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Jul 1986 | Bell 47G-3B1 | Lihue, Hawaii, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Nov 1986 | Cessna 152 | Waipahu, Hawaii, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Mar 1986 | Boeing 747-122 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | United Airlines | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Mar 1986 | Cessna U206C | Maunaloa, Hawaii, United States | Hutchinson Auto & Air | Fatal | 1 |
| 31 May 1986 | Aerospatiale AS-355F-1 | Kameula, Hawaii, United States | Hemmeter Aviation, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Oct 1986 | Murrayair MA-1 | Hilo, Hawaii, United States | - | No injuries | - |