Bell 206BIII N5011K
21 November 1991 · Davis, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 21 November 1991 at about 02:14 local time, a Bell 206BIII registered N5011K, operated by Aris Helicopter Ltd, was involved in an accident near Davis, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 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 02:14
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Davis, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 38.5295, -121.6608
- Aircraft
- Bell 206BIII
- Registration
- N5011K
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Aris Helicopter Ltd
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Francisco → Sacramento
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- LAX92FA047
People
3 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE DECISION OF THE PILOT TO CONTINUE NIGHT LOW LEVEL FLIGHT IN FORECASTED ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FOGGY WEATHER AND DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS WHICH RESTRICTED THE PILOT'S VISUAL OUTLOOK.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A BELL HELICOPTER 206B III COLLIDED WITH LEVEL TERRAIN DURING NIGHT INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. THE PILOT CONTACTED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TWENTY MILES SOUTHEAST OF HIS DESTINATION REPORTING INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WITH LOW VISIBILITY IN LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN VFR CONDITIONS AND STARTED TO MANEUVER AROUND THE WEATHER. A WITNESS REPORTED SEEING THE HELICOPTER FLYING NORTH, AT AN ALTITUDE BELOW THE LEVEL OF AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. THE HELICOPTER HAD TO CLIMB TO CROSS THE INTERSTATE. THE HELICOPTER THEN DESCENDED, IMPACTED THE GROUND, AND DISINTEGRATED. ATC REPORTED LOST RADAR CONTACT WITH THE HELICOPTER. THE SEARCH FOR THE HELICOPTER WAS IMPEDED BY LOCAL DARKNESS AND GROUND FOG. THE PILOT'S DESTINATION AIRPORT LOCATED EIGHT NAUTICAL MILES NORTH OF THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS REPORTING A TEMPERATURE DEWPOINT SPREAD OF THREE DEGREES AND CALM WINDS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jul 1991 | Bell 206L-1 | Lake Alpine, California, United States | Rogers Helicopters Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Feb 1991 | Bell 206-B | Kodiak, Alaska, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Mar 1991 | Bell 206B | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | Kenai Air of Hawaii, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 7 May 1991 | Bell 206B-3 | Houston, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Jan 1991 | Bell 206L-1 | S Tim Blk 198 | Evergreen Equity, Inc | Fatal | 2 |
| 9 Jul 1991 | Bell 206B | Vero Beach, Florida, United States | Skyline Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1991 | Cessna C-172P | Hesperia, California, United States | South Bay Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Cessna 172N | Napa, California, United States | Bridgeford Flying SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft 76 | Sacramento, California, United States | Altair Aviation Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Ayres S2R | Visalia, California, United States | Gilbert Aviation Industries | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Cessna 421C | Auburn, California, United States | Edward Mueller | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Champion 7GCBC | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | Halbeisen, John F | Fatal | 2 |