Bell 206B accident near Near Kalispell, Montana, November 21, 1982
On November 21, 1982 at about 5:30 am local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N5011G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Near Kalispell, Montana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. 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
- November 21, 1982 · about 5:30 am local time
- Place
- Near Kalispell, Montana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5011G · no longer on the register · serial 2579
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT DEPARTED HOSPITAL AT MISSOULA IN GOOD WX TO ASSIST HIGHWAY ACCIDENT VICTIM 5 MI EAST OF CLINTON. VICTIM WAS PLACED ABOARD HELICOPTER ON STRETCHER FOR EMERGENCY FLIGHT TO HOSPITAL. ABOUT 5-6 MI EAST OF MISSOULA PLT NOTICED LIGHT SNOW FALLING & OBSERVED A LARGE STORM CELL BETWEEN HIS POSITION & MISSOULA, & EXECUTED AN IMMEDIATE RIGHT TURN AWAY FROM THE STORM. DURING A SECOND TURN TO ASSESS THE WX SITUATION & AS THE ACFT'S TAIL WAS TO THE CELL, THE ACFT SETTLED WITH POWER FROM ABOUT 400 FT AGL.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,080 hours in all; 2,580 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 4,810 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,296 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Clinton MT at 10:17 pm
- Destination: MSO Missoula MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.