Bell UH-1B accident near Lake Seminole, Georgia, May 29, 1991
On May 29, 1991 at about 10:40 am local time, a Bell UH-1B (helicopter), registered N9650N, was destroyed in an accident near Lake Seminole, Georgia. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE FROM THE SURFACE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1991 · about 10:40 am local time
- Place
- Lake Seminole, Georgia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell UH-1B · all UH-1Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9650N · no longer on the register · serial 638674
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS BEING USED FOR AERIAL OBSERVATION OF PREVIOUSLY SPRAYED AQUATIC PLANTS. A DAWN TAKE OFF WAS MADE AND THE FLIGHT PROCEEDED AT LOW LEVEL ALONG THE RIVER. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE LOOKED AT THE OBSERVER THEN LOOKED FORWARD AGAIN. NO OBSTRUCTION WAS SEEN, HOWEVER, A BUMP WAS FELT AND THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE RIVER SURFACE. THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER EXITED THE HELICOPTER UNDERWATER.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,911 hours in all; 162 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,951 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 1, 1991; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming T53-L11D (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Colony Services, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Chattahoochee FL at 10:40 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Sky: scat at 100 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 am from TLH, 30 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.