Bell 206L-1 accident near Jamestown, Tennessee, December 3, 1986
On December 3, 1986 at about 9:52 am local time, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter), registered N3898U, was destroyed in an accident near Jamestown, Tennessee (Jamestown Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 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
- December 3, 1986 · about 9:52 am local time
- Place
- Jamestown, Tennessee · Jamestown Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N3898U · no longer on the register · serial 45575
- 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 BEING USED IN AN EMERG MED SVC/MED-EVAC (EMS) OPN. AT 0230, THE PLT OBTAINED A PARTIAL WX BRIEFING. HE WAS ADVISED OF FLT PRCTNS FOR IFR WX THRU-OUT THE AREA WITH LOW CEILINGS, FOG, PRECIP & MTNS OBSCD. THE FLT DEPARTED NASHVILLE AT 0245 & LNDD AT JAMESTOWN AT 0333. ABOUT 17 MIN LATER, IT TOOK OFF ON THE RETURN FLT TO NASHVILLE WITH 2 MEDPSNL & A PATIENT ABOARD. ABOUT 3.2 MI FM THE DEPARTURE POINT, THE ACFT HIT TREES MOMENTS AFTER CROSSING HI TERRAIN ALONGTHE RIM OF A VALLEY. THE IMPACT AREA WAS VOID OF LGTS. A WX STUDY INDCD CLD BASES AT ABOUT 800' AGL, VIS LESS THAN 3 MI IN DRIZZLE & FOG. PSNL IN THE AREA ESTD 200' TO 300' OVERCAST, VIS 1/2 TO 3/4 MI. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FND. THE EMS OPN WAS CERTIFIED UNDER 14 CFR 135 (NO SPECIFIC REG FOR EMS OPNS). THE COMPANY OPNS MANUAL LACKED GUID-ANCE CONCERNING EMS OPNS. THE OPERATOR DID NOT HAVE AN FAA APPROVED TRAINING MANUAL. NO FAA RECORD WAS FND SHOWING A BASE INSPECTION BY EITHER OPNS OR MAINT INSPECTORS BTN 1/11/85 & THE DATE OF THE ACDNT.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,570 hours in all; 29 in the last 90 days; 4,192 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,750 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 1, 1986; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,050 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C28B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Customaire, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Jamestown TN at 9:50 am
- Destination: Nashville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| 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.