Bell 206L-III accident near Canon City, Colorado, August 30, 2002
On August 30, 2002 at about 6:25 pm local time, a Bell 206L-III (helicopter), registered N43GA, was destroyed in an accident near Canon City, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance of a static wire, and the subsequent loss of aircraft control due to the main rotor pitch change tubes being severed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 2002 · about 6:25 pm local time
- Place
- Canon City, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-III · all 206L-IIIs on the register
- Registration
- N43GA · registry record · serial 51305
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he had been flying down in the canyon, and had come up to the surface to return to his helipad. He said that the helicopter's mast struck a wire, and severed the main rotor pitch change tubes disabling the aircraft. The pilot said that the helicopter came down vertically (20 to 30 feet) breaking the left skid, crushing the fuselage, separating the tail boom, and separating portions of both main rotor blades.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 20,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 30, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,988 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 30, 2002; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C30P (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Canon City CO at 6:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from PUB, 39 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.