Bell 206L-1 accident near Charleston, WV
On April 4, 1996, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Charleston, WV. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 4, 1996
- Place
- Charleston, WV
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.311°N, 81.750°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X05655
Official records · NYC96GA083
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC Statements and Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 4, 1996, at 1019 eastern standard time, a Bell 206L-1, a helicopter, N79SP, owned and operated by the West Virginia State Police, was destroyed during an in-flight break-up and collision with terrain, 2.5 miles west of the Yeager Airport, Charleston, West Virginia. The commercial pilot and passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the positioning flight that originated at the Yeager Airport (CRW), at 1016. No flight plan had been filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The State Police pilot and passenger departed the State Police Academy where the helicopter was based, and flew a 1.5 hour flight. The helicopter was landed at CRW, refueled, and departed in a westerly direction for the return flight to the academy. About 1019, a garbled transmission with an ELT signal in the background was received by a CRW Air Traffic Controller. When the controller attempted contact with N79SP, there was no response. Forty-four witnesses observed the helicopter during various segments of the accident sequence, and many observed the helicopter in level flight about 300 feet above a hill before the event began. Twenty-one witnesses stated that they observed something depart from the tail of the helicopter, followed by the helicopter entering a spin, rolling inverted, and descending into trees. Two of the witnesses stated that they observed the helicopter collide with birds. One of these witnesses stated, "...I did not see anything fall off or break off of the aircraft other than the bird which fell off to the right.
Probable cause
the helicopter manufacturer's inadequate maintenance service bulletin inspection interval which failed to provide timely detection of preexisting fatigue cracks in the tail boom. Factors were: the manufacturer's failure to develop a modification of the failed area, and the failure of the FAA certification office to monitor and act upon the significant number of reports of tail boom cracking that w
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Browse: West Virginia · Bell aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
