Bell 206B N83080
21 August 1987 · Washington, District of Columbia, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 21 August 1987 at about 11:36 local time, a Bell 206B registered N83080, operated by Stuart Aviation, was involved in an accident near Washington, District of Columbia, United States. 4 people were on board and 3 died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 11:36
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- Coordinates
- 38.8897, -77.0299
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B
- Registration
- N83080
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Stuart Aviation
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Washington → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- BFO87FA057
People
3 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 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
THE HELICOPTER WAS ON A LCL PHOTOGRAPHY (SIGHT-SEEING) FLT. WHILE HOVERING AT APRX 200' ABV THE POTOMAC RIVER, THE ENG LOST PWR. THE PLT INITIATED AN AUTOROTATION & DEPLOYED THE EMERG FLOATS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED IN THE RIVER & ROLLED OVR, BUT WAS SUPPORTED (UPSIDE DOWN) IN THE WATER BY THE FLOATS. AFTER RECOVERY, NO PREIMPACT PART FAIL- URE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRFRAME WAS FND. HOWEVER, A TEARDOWN OF THE ENG REVEALED THE SPUR ADAPTER GEARSHAFT (SAG), PN 6890482, HAD FAILED FROM WEAR & SUBSEQUENT FATIGUE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT THE FWD, SPLINED END OF THE SAG. DEBRIS (82% SILICON) WAS FND INSIDE THE OIL DELIVERY TUBE. THE OIL JETS FOR THE #2 & #3 BRGS WERE OBSTRUCTED, BUT THE JET FOR SAG WAS NOT OBSTRUCTED. THE PRECISE NATURE OF THE CONDS & CIRCUMSTANCES THAT LED TO EXCESSIVE WEAR WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE HEIGHT/VELOCITY DIAGRAM IN THE FLT MANUAL SHOWED HOVERING FLT BTN 10 & 400 FT SHOULD BE AVOIDED (TO ALLOW FOR SUCCESSFUL AUTOROTATIVE LNDG IN THE EVENT OF A PWR LOSS).
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 1987 | Bell 206B | Austin, Texas, United States | Omni Flight, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jun 1987 | Bell 206L-1 | Winter Haven, Florida, United States | All American Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 19 Nov 1987 | Bell 206B III | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Aero West Management Services | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Jan 1987 | Bell 206L-1 | Pollockville, North Carolina, United States | Omniflight Airways, Inc. | Fatal | 4 |
| 10 Dec 1987 | Bell 206L-3 | Little Rock, Arkansas, United States | Central Flying Service | Unknown | - |
| 19 Nov 1987 | Bell 206L-3 | Rialto, California, United States | William Lyon Company | Serious injuries | - |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jul 1987 | Boeing 727-225 | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | Eastern Air Lines | No injuries | - |
| 11 Aug 1987 | Boeing 747-200B | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | All Nippon Airways | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Sep 1988 | Cessna 310R | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | Calypso Airways | No injuries | - |
| 30 Nov 1988 | Swearingen SA-226T | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | John T. Rocca | No injuries | - |
| 17 May 1986 | Cessna 340A | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Nov 1986 | Boeing 757-251 | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | - | No injuries | - |