Bell 206B accident near Gate City, Virginia, May 20, 1982
On May 20, 1982 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N5002X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gate City, Virginia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 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
- May 20, 1982 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gate City, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5002X · no longer on the register · serial 2425
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS WAS AN EXTERNAL LOAD OPERATION TO MOVE SEISMOGRAPHIC OIL EXPLORATION EQUIPMENT. THE PILOT FLEW TO THE LOADING ZONE WITH A 150 FT CABLE AND AN ALUMINUM BUCKET. AFTER ARRIVING, HE LOWERED THE BUCKET AND HOVERED WHILE THE BUCKET WAS LOADED. THE PILOT THEN LIFTED THE LOADED BUCKET TO ABOUT 40 FT AGL. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, HE TRANSMITTED THAT HE HAD A PROBLEM AND HAD TO SIT THE HELICOPTTER DOWN. THE BUCKET CAME DOWN HARD ABOUT 10 FT FROM ITS PICKUP POINT AND THE HELICOPTER MOVED TO A CLEAR AREA. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER HIT THE TOP OF A TREE, THEN CRASH INTO THE GROUND ABOUT 90 FT FROM THE TREE. THE ALUMINUM BUCKET HAD BEEN DRAGGED ABOUT 200 FT BEFORE IT CAME TO REST AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TREE. THE CABLE WAS DRAPED ACROSS THE TREE AND THE RIGHT SKID BUT WAS FOUND RELEASED. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED NO PRECRASH MALFUNCTION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS AND NO MECHANICAL FAILURE OF THE ENGINE WAS VERIFIED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,522 hours in all; 803 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,425 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,025 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Gate City VA at 10:15 am
- Destination: Gate City VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 162°F (72°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
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.