Bell 206B accident near Cincinnati, Ohio, November 25, 1986
On November 25, 1986 at about 11:43 am local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N59610, was destroyed in an accident near Cincinnati, Ohio (Lunken Field). It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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
- November 25, 1986 · about 11:43 am local time
- Place
- Cincinnati, Ohio · Lunken Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N59610 · no longer on the register · serial 1487
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE OWNER/OPERATOR (OPER) OF A FLYING SERVICE PROVIDED ACFT FOR BROADCASTING STATIONS IN THE AREA. A RADIO STATION HAD CONTRACTED WITH THE OPER TO PROVIDE A HELICOPTER (HELO, N59610) & A PLT TO TAKE A NEWS RPRTR ON A LOCAL TRAFFIC WATCH. THE OPER RPRTD THAT ON THE MORNING OF THE ACDNT, THE CEILING WAS RAGGED & HE SUGGESTED TO THE NEWS RPRTR THAT THE TAKE- OFF BE DELAYED UNTIL DAYLIGHT. THE RPRTR REJECTED THE SUGGESTION, SINCE AN ACFT FOR A COMPETING BROADCASTING STATION WAS ALREADY AIRBORNE. THE OPER HAD A POLICY OF NOT FLYING A HELO WHEN THE CEILING OR VIS WAS LESS THAN 300' OR 1/2 MI, BUT THE DECISION FOR FLT WAS LEFT TO THE PLT. BFR SUNRISE, N59610 WAS CLRD AS LEADER OF A FLT OF 2 FOR A SVFR DEPARTURE IN FOGGY CONDS. THE PLT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. AFTER DEPARTING, N59610 ENTERED DENSE FOG & SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED ON WOODED, RISING TERRAIN ABOUT 1 MI SOUTH OF THE DEPARTURE POINT. AT CINCINNATI, THE 0555 WX WAS, IN PART: 600' OVERCAST, 1-1/2 MI VIS WITH FOG; AT 0655 THE CEILING & VIS WERE 200' OVERCAST & 1/2 MI WITH FOG.
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; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,450 hours in all; 112 in this make and model; 192 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 1,331 as pilot in command; 185 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,341 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 14, 1986; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LUK Cincinnati OH at 11:40 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 am from LUK, 2 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.
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.