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Accidents · NTSB CHI86FEX10 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Bell 206L-II accident near Kokomo, Indiana, July 7, 1986

On July 7, 1986, a Bell 206L-II (helicopter), registered N1084L, was destroyed in an accident near Kokomo, Indiana. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
July 7, 1986 · cases in 1986
Place
Kokomo, Indiana · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person had minor injuries.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Bell 206L-II · all 206L-IIs on the register
Registration
N1084L · registry record · serial 45722
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE HELICOPTER EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER DURING CRUISE, FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS, AND WAS FORCED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING. PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN THE HELICOPTER EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, DUE TO A FAILED HYDRAULIC PUMP, AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN.

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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
  • Flight time: 3,556 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 47 in the last 30 days; 3,300 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: rgt

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 453 hours
  • Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 10, 1986; 39 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 4,050 lb
  • Seats: 7
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
  • Operator: National Air Charter

The flight

  • Departed from: OKK Kokomo IN
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 230° at 15 knots
  • Visibility: 7 statute miles
  • Sky: scat
  • Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.00 inHg

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI86FEX10.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.