Bell UH-1B accident near Amherstdale, West Virginia, June 22, 2022
On June 22, 2022 at about 8:45 pm local time, a 1962 Bell UH-1B (helicopter), registered N98F, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Amherstdale, West Virginia (Logan County airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the operator’s failure to adequately inspect the former military turbine powered helicopter, which allowed an engine issue to progress and result in a loss of engine power and a subsequent loss of control after the helicopter struck powerlines during a forced landing. Also causal to the accident were the following: 1) the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) inadequate inspection and maintenance standards for former military turbine powered aircraft operating with an experimental exhibition airworthiness certificate; 2) the operator’s use of those standards instead of more rigorous standards, which were readily available to the operator and previously used to inspect and maintain the helicopter; and 3) the FAA’s inadequate oversight of the operator, which did not detect the inherent risk associated with the operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2022 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Amherstdale, West Virginia · Logan County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell UH-1B, built 1962 · all UH-1Bs on the register
- Registration
- N98F · registry record · serial 488 (62-1968)
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On June 22, 2022, about 1645 eastern daylight time, a Bell Helicopter UH-1B helicopter, N98F, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in Amherstdale, West Virginia. About 15 minutes after the flight departed, the helicopter impacted two powerlines and a rock face during a forced landing, and a postcrash fire ensued. The pilot and five passengers were fatally injured. The helicopter was operated by MARPAT Aviation under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute
- Autorotation Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Safety programs › Adequacy of safety program › FAA/Regulator
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Turbine section › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › (general) › (general) › Inadequate inspection
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Owner/builder
- Organizational issues › Management › Policy/procedure › Adequacy of policy/proc › Operator
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of operation › FAA/Regulator
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 493.1 hours in all; 21.1 in this make and model; 6.5 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: June 16, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 50 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Passenger
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
Passenger
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,029.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 29, 2022
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Avco Lycoming T53-L-11D (turboshaft); 5,997 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 6L4 Logan WV at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from 6L4, 3 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR K6L4 222045Z AUTO VRB06KT 10SM SCT049 32/21 A3000 RMK A02
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA22FA279.