Bell 206B accident near N. Wilkesboro, NC
On October 22, 2001, a Bell 206B (helicopter) was involved in an accident near N. Wilkesboro, NC. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 22, 2001
- Place
- N. Wilkesboro, NC
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.159°N, 81.112°W
- NTSB ID
- 20011030X02163
Official records · ATL02FA003
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 22, 2001, at 1838 eastern daylight time, a Bell 206B helicopter, N8104J, registered to Saber Executive Helicopters, Inc., and operated by Saber Cargo Airlines, Inc., collided with power lines in the vicinity of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The commercial pilot and the passenger received fatal injuries, and the helicopter was destroyed. The flight departed Wilkes County Airport in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, at 1835. The operator stated the pilot's standard routine included a delivery of cargo to a facility in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 135, and the carriage of a passenger was unauthorized. The passenger met the pilot at the North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, facility and boarded the helicopter, then the flight proceeded to Wilkes County Airport in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, for fueling. The flight departed the airport with 50 gallons of Jet A aviation fuel on board. According to the Wilkes County Sheriff's Department, the passenger called his brother from the helicopter with his cell phone. The brother was at a location about 4.5 nautical miles south of the Wilkes County Airport, and the passenger told him, "We are about over the top of you." The brother stated he could hear the helicopter in the background, and he went outside and observed the helicopter fly overhead in a straight line about 500 feet above the ground befo
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain visual lookout and clearance above obstacles, which resulted in a collision with power lines and subsequent loss of control and collision with terrain.
More accidents in NC
- Douglas DC-9-31, Jul 2, 1994
- Beech 1900D, Jan 8, 2003
- Pilatus Aircraft Ltd PC-12/47E, Feb 13, 2022
- Cessna 550, Dec 18, 2025
- Beech D55, Jan 9, 1983
Browse: North Carolina · 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.
