Bell 206B accident near 2Nm SW Of Lynch, Kentucky, August 2, 1982
On August 2, 1982 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N33TA, was destroyed in an accident near 2Nm SW Of Lynch, Kentucky. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 2, 1982 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- 2Nm SW Of Lynch, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N33TA · no longer on the register · serial 820
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ON A FLIGHT TO SPRAY POWERLINE RIGHT-OF-WAYS WITH DEFOLIANT. DURING CLIMB, NEAR A 3500 FOOT RIDGELINE, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SPIN TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT TOOK CORRECTIVE ACTION BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP THE SPIN. THE PILOT DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO RECOVER CONTROL PRIOR TO IMPACT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PILOT HAD EXPERIENCED SIMILAR LOSSES OF TAIL ROTOR CONTROL PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: instrument helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,530 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,323 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Evergreen Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Lynch KY at 5:45 pm
- Destination: Lynch KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 40 ft
- Temperature: 176°F (80°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from TRI, 40 miles away
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.
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.