Bell 206 L-1 accident near Carson, New Mexico, January 21, 1985
On January 21, 1985 at about 6:15 am local time, a Bell 206 L-1 (helicopter), registered N40TE, was destroyed in an accident near Carson, New Mexico (Unknown airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed. 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
- January 21, 1985 · about 6:15 am local time
- Place
- Carson, New Mexico · Unknown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206 L-1 · all 206 L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N40TE · registry record · serial 45712
- 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 HELICOPTER CRASHED IN OPEN TERRAIN DURING A TURN TO REVERSE DIRECTION. WITNESSES STATED THE ACFT WAS HEADING NORTH AND WAS ON A CONVERGING COURSE WITH HIGH TENSION LINES THAT WERE ABOUT 80 TO 100 FT HIGH AND THE BELLY COUNTED SPOTLIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED WHEN IT PASSED OVERHEAD. THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED SNOW COVERED TERRAIN IN A STEEP DESCENDING BANK TO THE RIGHT AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED ON A SOUTHERLY HEADING. THE POWER LINES SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF HAVING BEEN STRUCK. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS 300 FT EAST OF THE POWER LINES.
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 sea; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 13 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,237 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 18, 1985; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C-28B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ Albuquerque NM at 5:19 am
- Destination: TACO Taos NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded at 100 ft
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 pm
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.