Bell 222UT accident near Galax, Virginia, September 23, 1986
On September 23, 1986 at about 4:42 pm local time, a Bell 222UT (helicopter), registered N251CC, was destroyed in an accident near Galax, Virginia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 23, 1986 · about 4:42 pm local time
- Place
- Galax, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 222UT · all 222UTs on the register
- Registration
- N251CC · no longer on the register · serial 47517
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS DISPATCHED ON AN EMERG MED SVC (EMS/MED-EVAC) FLT TO TRANSPORT A PATIENT WITH SUBCRANIAL BLEEDING BACK TO A HOSPITAL IN WINSTON-SALEM. BFR TAKEOFF, THE PLT RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING. AT THAT TIME, WIDESPREAD IMC PREVAILEDTHRU-OUT THE AREA & VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. WHILE EN ROUTE, THE PLT CLIMBED TO 4500' MSL. IN THE LAST TRANSMISSION FROM THE ACFT (TO HOSPITAL DISPATCH), THE HELICOPTER WAS RPRTD TO BE APRX 12 MI FROM GALAX (THE DESTN). A WITNESS IN THAT AREA HEARD THE SOUND OF A HELICOPTER WHICH CEASED WITH A 'THUD' WHEN IT CRASHED. HE LOOKED IN THE DIRECTION OF THE NOISE, BUT HE COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING DUE TO FOG. THE WRECKAGE WAS FND APRX 10 MI SE OF GALAX. THE HELICOPTER HAD CRASHED JUST BELOW THE TOP OF A MTN RIDGE AT AN ELEV OF ABOUT 3500'. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE HELICOPTER WAS IN ABOUT A 20 DEG RGT BANK WHEN IT CRASHED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FND DURING THE INVESTIGATION.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,085 hours in all; 566 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 7,535 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 445 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 18, 1986; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming LTS-101 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: INT Winston-Salem NC at 5:22 pm
- Destination: Galax VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.