Bell 206-L3 accident near Jackson, Wyoming, December 31, 1984
On December 31, 1984 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Bell 206-L3 (helicopter), registered N3898Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jackson, Wyoming. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries; 4 others were unhurt. 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
- December 31, 1984 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Jackson, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206-L3 · all 206-L3s on the register
- Registration
- N3898Y · no longer on the register · serial 51024
- 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
PLT HAD LANDED ON PREPARED AREA (SNOW PACKED DOWN BY HELI SKI GUIDE) TO EMBARK SKI PASSENGERS. ON DEPARTURE PLT LIFTED TO HOVER, TURNED TO DESIRED HDG AND INITIATED FORWARD TRANSITION. AS ACFT PASSED BOUNDRY OF PACKED SNOW, ROTOR WASH PICKED UP SOFT LOOSE SNOW, OBSCURING VISUAL REFERENCES. ACFT HAD NOT ACHIEVED TRANSLATIONAL LIFT AND ENGINE WAS AT MAX TORQUE OUTPUT, NEGATING CLIMB. PLT ATTEMPTED TO 'SET ACFT DOWN' BUT RUN-ON LANDING RESULTED. DUE TO EXCESS FORWARD SPEED AND SOFT SNOW, ACFT NOSED OVER.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,670 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 2,385 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 725 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 19, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C30P (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Queen City Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N3898Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.