Bell 206B accident near Ellendale, Minnesota, January 21, 1986
On January 21, 1986 at about 10:25 am local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N1498W, was destroyed in an accident near Ellendale, Minnesota. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 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
- January 21, 1986 · about 10:25 am local time
- Place
- Ellendale, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1498W · no longer on the register · serial 425
- 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 PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS TO TAKE A NEWS CREW TO A LOCATION TO COVER A STORY. THE NEWS CREW HAD ATTEMPTED TO HIRE ANOTHER HELICOPTER, BUT THAT OPERATOR REFUSED DUE TO FORCAST LOW VISIBILITY. THIS PLT, HOWEVER, AGREED TO FLY. ALTHO HE WAS CERTIFIED FOR INTRUMENT FLT IN AIRPLANES, THE PLT WAS NOT QUALIFIED FOR INSTUMENT FLT IN HELICOPTERS, NOR WAS THEHELICOPTER CERTIFIED FOR INSTRUMENT FLT. DURING A WX BRIEFING, THE PLT WAS ADVISED OF ADVERSE WX COND. WHILE N1498W WAS IN FLT, 2 WITNESSES OBSD A HELICOPTER FLYING ALONG A HIWAY ON THE PLT'S PLANNED ROUTE AT A VERY LOW ALT. A TRUCK DRIVER ESTIMATED THE ACFT HAD PASSED APRX 2' OVR HIS 13' RIG; HE SAID HE COULD FEEL THE DOWNWASH FM THE ROTOR BLADES. WITNESSESESTIMATED THE CEILING TO BE AT OR BELOW 100' AGL & THE VISIBILITY TO BE 1/8 TO 1/4 MI WITH HVY FOG. THE HELICOPTER CRASHED & BURNED APRX 100' FM THE HIWAY NEAR A PWR LINE CROSSING. IMPACT OCCURRED WHILE THE HELICOPTER WAS IN A SHALLOW DSCNT, HDG AWAY FM THE HIWAY & PARALLEL WITH THE PWR LINE. WRECKAGE WAS NOT FND UNTIL 1150 CST. NO ELT WAS INSTALLED.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,071 hours in all; 141 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 835 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,760 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 20, 1986; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RLA Minneapolis MN at 9:15 am
- Destination: RLA Austin MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.