Bell 206B accident near Mineral Wells, Texas, January 8, 2001
On January 8, 2001 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N152AL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mineral Wells, Texas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 2001 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Mineral Wells, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N152AL · registry record · serial 1703
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was on a local area flight. A witness, who was loading topsoil into a truck with a Caterpillar loader, noticed a shadow pass overhead and "heard the noise of rotor blades." He turned around and observed the helicopter impact the ground, nose over, and come to rest inverted about 30 feet from his location. The witness stated that he "did not hear the engine running." The engine was removed from the helicopter and test run for about 47 minutes through various power settings. No anomalies were noted. Further examination of the main fuel control and power turbine governor noted no anomalies.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,177 hours in all; 73 in this make and model; 4,353 as pilot in command; 966 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 24, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,599.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 13, 2000; 37.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MWL Mineral Wells TX at 8:10 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MWL, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 FTW01FA048.