Bell 206L-3 accident near Billings, Montana, November 7, 1986
On November 7, 1986 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Bell 206L-3 (helicopter), registered N3889S, was destroyed in an accident near Billings, Montana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 7, 1986 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Billings, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-3 · all 206L-3s on the register
- Registration
- N3889S · registry record · serial 45576
- 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
WHILE ON TAKEOFF FROM A HOSPITAL ROOF TOP HELIPAD ON AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE FLT, A SYNCHRONIZED ELEVATOR COVER BLEW OFF AND STRUCK THE TAIL ROTOR. THIS RESULTED IN AN INFLIGHT SEPARATION OF ONE TAIL ROTOR BLADE AND A LOSS OF ANTI-TORQUE CONTROL. THE PLT EXECUTED AN AUTOROTATION IN THE URBAN AREA WITH NO SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR AN EMERGENCY FORCED LANDING.
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 land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 1,350 in this make and model; 73 in the last 90 days; 6,730 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,869 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 4, 1986; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C30 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Billings MT at 3:17 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 7 knots
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:28 pm from BIL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | 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.