Bell 206L-3 accident near Deckers, Colorado, October 19, 1988
On October 19, 1988 at about 8:24 pm local time, a Bell 206L-3 (helicopter), registered N99TV, was destroyed in an accident near Deckers, Colorado. It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- October 19, 1988 · about 8:24 pm local time
- Place
- Deckers, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-3 · all 206L-3s on the register
- Registration
- N99TV · registry record · serial 51116
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A CORPORATE FLT THRU A CANYON IN MARGINAL WX CONDS, THE HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH THE STATIC PORTION OF A POWER TRANSMISSION LINE & CRASHED. THE ACDNT OCCURRED WHERE A 2,554 FT SPAN OF THE POWER LINE CROSSED THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER. THE POWER LINE (WITH LESS THAN 150 FT MEAN HEIGHT ABOVE THE TERRAIN) WAS NOT MARKED, NOR WAS IT REQUIRED TO BE MARKED, ALTHOUGH SPHERICAL MARKERS HAD ALREADY BEEN SCHEDULED FOR INSTLN ON THIS SPAN. ACCORDING TO LOCAL MEDIA PLTS, THE PLT OF N99TV WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA & WAS AWARE OF THE POWER LINE. THE NEAREST WITNESS (ABT 1-1/2 MI FROM THE CRASH SITE) SAW THE HELICOPTER PASS OVERHEAD BEFORE IT CRASHED. ACCORDING TO THIS WITNESS, THERE WAS REDUCED VISIBILITY IN THE AREA WITH LIGHT RAIN. HIKERS IN THE AREA RPRTD RAIN, HAIL, HIGH WINDS & REDUCED VISIBILITY WITH MTN TOPS OBSCURED.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,212 hours in all; 405 in this make and model; 121 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 5,083 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,952 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 27, 1988; 92 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,250 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C30P (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OV2 Salida CO at 7:45 pm
- Destination: APA Englewood CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N99TV 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.