Bell 206B accident near Kernersville, North Carolina, September 26, 1984
On September 26, 1984 at about 1:46 am local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N7CF, was destroyed in an accident near Kernersville, North Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- September 26, 1984 · about 1:46 am local time
- Place
- Kernersville, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7CF · no longer on the register · serial 3059
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE DISMANTLING A WATER TOWER, AN IRON WORKER WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED & PINNED AS HE WAS REMOVING A PORTION OF A WATER TOWER LEG (APRX 92 FT AGL). THE HELICOPTER PLT RESPONDED TO THE EMERGENCY. THE ACFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A MAKE-SHIFT SLING LINE TO RETRIEVE THE INJURED IRON WORKER. THE IRON WORKER DIED, BUT THE HELICOPTER PLT VOLUNTEERED TO CONTINUE WITH THE MISSION. THE PLT WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS TYPE OF OPERATION, BUT A PARAMEDIC WAS ON BOARD TO ASSIST. THE PARAMEDIC WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH HELICOPTER OPERATIONS. SVRL QUARTZ HALOGEN LGTS WERE USED TO ILLUMINATE THE 4 WATER TOWER LEGS. AT THE PLT'S REQUEST, ALL BUT 1 WERE TURNED OFF TO KEEP FROM BLINDING THE PLT AS HE HOVERED OVER THE STRUCTURE AT NGT. THERE WAS NO DIRECT RADIO COMM BETWEEN THE PLT & GROUND PSNL, BUT THE PARAMEDIC WAS IN CONTACT WITH GROUND PSNL. WHILE HOVERING, THE HELICOPTER MOVED SLOWLY BACK TOWARD A LEG OF THE STRUCTURE. GROUND PSNL TRIED TO WARN THE PLT, BUT THE HELICOPTER HIT A WATER TOWER LEG, THEN CRASHED & BURNED.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,670 hours in all; 1,870 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,875 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 11, 1984; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: INT Winston-Salem NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 am from INT, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N7CF 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.