Bell 206B III accident near Trenton, North Dakota, March 7, 1982
On March 7, 1982 at about 6:25 pm local time, a Bell 206B III (helicopter), registered N16867, was substantially damaged in an accident near Trenton, North Dakota. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 1982 · about 6:25 pm local time
- Place
- Trenton, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B III · all 206B IIIs on the register
- Registration
- N16867 · no longer on the register · serial 2250
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS HOVERING DURING A SLING LOAD OPERATION WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE PILOT RELEASED THE LOAD BUT DUE TO LOW ROTOR RPM THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD, SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGING THE AIRCRAFT. INVESTIGATON REVEALED A FAILURE OF THE FORWARD MALE SPLINES ON THE SPIN ADAPTER GEARSHAFT AND THE FUEL NOZZLE SCREEN COLLAPSED AND CLOGGED WITH FIBROUS DEBRIS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,538 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 6,233 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,523 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C-20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Airwest Helicopters INC
The flight
- Departed from: ISN Williston ND at 12:20 pm
- Destination: ISN Williston ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.