Bell 206B3 accident near Inver Grove Hts, Minnesota, October 26, 1994
On October 26, 1994 at about 7:46 pm local time, a Bell 206B3 (helicopter), registered N505KS, was destroyed in an accident near Inver Grove Hts, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper altitude and inadequate visual lookout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 1994 · about 7:46 pm local time
- Place
- Inver Grove Hts, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B3 · all 206B3s on the register
- Registration
- N505KS · registry record · serial 2609
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER STRUCK TRANSMISSION WIRES THAT RAN PERPENDICULAR TO ITS FLIGHT PATH, CRASHED AND THEN CAUGHT FIRE. WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING THE HELICOPTER FLYING LOW OVER A RECENTLY COMPLETED AREA OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION, CLIMB TO PASS OVER A 32' HIGH INTERSECTING BRIDGE, AND THEN DESCEND AGAIN. THE HELICOPTER STRUCK WIRES WHICH WERE APPROXIMATELY 30' AGL. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS GIVING NON-REVENUE SIGHT-SEEING RIDES TO CONSTRUCTION PERSONNEL WHO HAD BEEN WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY PROJECT. HE SAID HE HAD MADE ONE PREVIOUS ROUND TRIP PASS ALONG THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 75-200'. HE SAID HE MADE THE SECOND, ACCIDENT PASS LOWER TO SCOUT FOR LANDING SITES TO LOAD FUTURE PASSENGERS. HE INDICATED IN AN INTERVIEW THAT HE DID NOT SEE THE WIRES UNTIL JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,395 hours in all; 630 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 2,038 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,268 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 8, 1994; 28 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
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from D97, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 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.