Bell 206L-1 N41BL
18 May 1998 · Arlington Hgts, Illinois, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 18 May 1998 at about 18:51 local time, a Bell 206L-1 registered N41BL was involved in an accident near Arlington Hgts, Illinois, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:51
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Arlington Hgts, Illinois, United States
- Coordinates
- 42.0592, -87.9909
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1
- Registration
- N41BL
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Waukegan → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI98FA159
People
4 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
Loss of helicopter control for unknown reasons.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A witness observed the helicopter fly over his apartment building within 100 feet. He watched the helicopter travel away from the building on a southwesterly heading in a level attitude. The witness estimated the helicopter to be approximately 350 feet above the ground. The witness said he saw the helicopter begin a slow banked turn to the left toward a southerly heading. The helicopter banked through 30 degrees up to 90 degrees, then it pitched down and descended in a 70 to 80 degree nose-down pitch angle. The witness lost sight of the helicopter when it descended below the tree tops. Another witness in the same building said that as the helicopter was going to the west, it was getting closer to the tree tops. The witness said that the helicopter 'banked real hard [to the] south, so that the [main rotor] blades were perpendicular to the ground. The helicopter went straight down in a dive, nose first.' The witness said that the helicopter was only 15 feet above the tree tops when it dove in. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies. The results of FAA toxicology testing of specimens from the pilot revealed 0.007 (ug/ml, ug/g) chlorpheniramine detected in urine.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jul 1998 | Bell 206L-3 | Reklaw, Texas, United States | U.s. Forest Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 1998 | Bell 206B | Salinas, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 1998 | Bell 206B | Vernal, Utah, United States | Enterprise Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 May 1998 | Bell 206L-3 | Indian Trail, North Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 15 Aug 1998 | Bell 206B II | Chickaloon, Alaska, United States | Alaska State Troopers | No injuries | - |
| 12 Sep 1998 | Bell 206B-3 | Hinkley, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Nov 1998 | Brantly B2B | Salem, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 May 1998 | Enstrom F28 | West Chicago, Illinois, United States | Oliver's Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 25 May 1998 | Cessna 310L | Wheeling, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jun 1998 | Grumman G164 | Somonauk, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Nov 1998 | Piper PA-28-140 | East St. Louis, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jun 1998 | Cessna 172P | Grays Lake, Illinois, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |