Bell 206L-1 accident near Choteau, Montana, June 6, 1987
On June 6, 1987 at about 2:15 am local time, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter), registered N4999N, was destroyed in an accident near Choteau, Montana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 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
- June 6, 1987 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Choteau, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N4999N · no longer on the register · serial 45497
- 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 EMS HELICOPTER WAS RETURNING TO GREAT FALLS, MT, ON 6/5/87 WHEN IT CRASHED. ITS OCCUPANTS HAD EARLIER PARTICIPATED IN A RESCUE SEMINAR AT MANY GLACIER, MT. THE WRECKAGE WAS NOT FOUND UNTIL 6/9/87. A VIDEO TAPE RECOVERED FROM THE WRECKAGE DISCLOSED THE HELICOPTER TO BE FOLLOWING A HERD OF BIG HORN SHEEP UP A 7000-FT MOUNTAIN SLOPE AND FLYING SLOWLY AT TREE-TOP LEVEL WHEN IT SUDDENLY YAWED TO THE RIGHT. TESTS MADE ON THE AUDIO PORTION OF THE VIDEO TAPE REVEALED MAIN/TAIL ROTOR RPM WAS AT 100% POWER UNTIL 3.5 SEC BEFORE END OF TAPE. AT THAT TIME MAIN/TAIL ROTOR RPM DROPPED TO 94%. EVIDENCE ALSO DISCLOSED HELICOPTER TO BE FLYING AT HIGH GROSS WEIGHT, HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE, AND WITH A TAILWIND.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,548 hours in all; 492 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 4,236 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,297 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C28B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Minuteman Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Many Glacier MT at 1:07 am
- Destination: Great Falls MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 16 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 14,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from GTF, 57 miles away
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.