Bell 206L accident near Greenville, South Carolina, August 30, 1982
On August 30, 1982 at about 2:55 pm local time, a Bell 206L (helicopter), registered N403DC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenville, South Carolina (Daniels Helipad airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 1982 · about 2:55 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, South Carolina · Daniels Helipad
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L · all 206Ls on the register
- Registration
- N403DC · registry record · serial 45032
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS MAKING AN APPROACH TO A NEW HELIPAD THAT WAS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION WHEN HE FELT A SEVERE VIBRATION. AFTER LANDING AND SHUTDOWN, HE DISCOVERED THAT THE TAIL ROTOR HAD STRUCK THE GLASS COVER OF A HELIPORT PERIMETER LIGHT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,450 hours in all; 1,047 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 8,131 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,572 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Greenville SC at 10:55 am
- Destination: Greenville SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N403DC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.