Bell 206B accident near Augusta, Georgia, July 11, 1986
On July 11, 1986 at about 1:10 am local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N5733X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Augusta, Georgia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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
- July 11, 1986 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Augusta, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5733X · no longer on the register · serial 3000
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAKEOFF FROM AN EMERGENCY LANDING ZONE, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES AND MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING ON THE MEDIAN BETWEEN THE HIGHWAY. THE HELICOPTER WAS OPERATING AS AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES HELICOPTER AND THE PILOT WAS RESPONDING TO A CALL TO PICK UP AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT VICTIM.
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: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,811 hours in all; 305 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 2,550 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,500 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 10, 1986; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Augusta GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.