Bell 412 incident near Knoxville, Tennessee, November 3, 1990
On November 3, 1990 at about 2:25 am local time, a Bell 412 (helicopter), registered N412UT, suffered minor damage in an incident near Knoxville, Tennessee. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO SEE AND AVOID THE WIRES PRIOR TO THE COLLISION. FACTORS IN THE INCIDENT WERE THE FAILURE OF THE GROUND PERSONNEL TO ADEQUATELY INSPECT THE LANDING ZONE, THE PRESENCE OF HIGH INTENSITY LIGHTS AT THE LZ, AND THE DARK LIGHTING CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 1990 · about 2:25 am local time · cases in 1990
- Place
- Knoxville, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 412 · all 412s on the register
- Registration
- N412UT · registry record · serial 33025
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NIGHT, VFR FLIGHT WAS DISPATCHED TO A STRETCH OF INTERSTATE HIGHWAY TO PICK UP A PATIENT. PRIOR TO LANDING THE LZ WAS SEARCHED FOR OBSTRUCTIONS WITH THE 'NIGHT SUN', AND THE GROUND PERSONNEL ALSO INSPECTED THE LZ. NO OBSTRUCTIONS WERE REPORTED OR OBSERVED IN THE IMMEDIATE LZ AREA. AFTER LANDING, THE PILOT ALSO WALKED THE DEPARTURE CORRIDOR WITH A FLASHLIGHT. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH FOUR WIRES WHICH WERE STRUNG ACROSS THE HIGHWAY. NEITHER THE FLIGHT CREW NOR THE GROUND PERSONNEL SAW THE WIRES PRIOR TO THE COLLISION. THE WIRES WERE BLACK IN COLOR, AND THE POLES WERE HIDDEN BY BUILDINGS AND TREES. ALSO, HIGH INTENSITY LIGHT STANDARDS LINED THE HIGHWAY AT THE LZ.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,278 hours in all; 556 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 4,812 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,900 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6T-3B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:00 am from TYS
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N412UT on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Bell 412 87 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Bell 3,079 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W PT6T-3B 4 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Tennessee 1,198 since 1982 · 231 in the last ten years
- Tennessee 6,528 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL91IA014.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.