Bell 206L-3 N96CW
25 May 1998 · Indian Trail, North Carolina, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 25 May 1998 at about 04:32 local time, a Bell 206L-3 registered N96CW was involved in an accident near Indian Trail, North Carolina, United States. 5 people were on board and 5 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 04:32
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Indian Trail, North Carolina, United States
- Nearest airport
- Monroe Airport (EQY)
- Coordinates
- 34.9795, -80.5409
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-3
- Registration
- N96CW
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Charlotte → Monroe
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- ATL98FA080
People
5 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain altitude while operating in adverse weather. A contributing factor was the incoming fog and high tension static wire.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to US Helicopters, Inc., the pilot was conducting passenger transport from the Charlotte Motor Speedway to various destinations in the Charlotte area. The pilot was on his last trip of the day, and departed the Speedway with four passengers on board destined for the Monroe Airport. Prior to departing the Speedway, the pilot informed a co-worker that weather at the time was VFR with 3 miles visibility. According to the co-worker, the pilot had last reported that he was proceeding east along highway 74, about 0025. Witnesses, in the immediate area, said they observed the helicopter flying low, in fog, with its lights on. The report from the Monroe ASOS (Automatic Surface Observation System) located on Monroe Airport was 300 feet overcast sky condition, 1.75 miles visibility in mist. At about 0032 the helicopters skids contacted a high-tension static ground wire about 150 feet above the ground.
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 | - |
| 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 | - |
| 17 Apr 1998 | Bell 206B | Cameron, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Sep 1998 | Cessna 150H | Kill Devil Hill, North Carolina, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Jul 1998 | Cessna 182P | Concord, North Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jul 1998 | Piper PA-28-140 | Carthage, North Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1998 | Piper PA-31-310 | Southport, North Carolina, United States | Arapahoe Aviation Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Dec 1998 | Cessna 150 | Columbia, North Carolina, United States | Jeffery W. Williams | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 1998 | Ector 305A (L-19) | Morganton, North Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |