Bell 206 accident near Austin, Texas, March 26, 1982
On March 26, 1982 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Bell 206 (helicopter), registered N5739Y, was destroyed in an accident near Austin, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- March 26, 1982 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Austin, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N5739Y · no longer on the register · serial 3413
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A LOW PASS OVER LAKE AUSTIN THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH POWER CABLES ABOUT 300 FEET ABOVE THE LAKE. WITNESSES REPORTED TWO LOUD CRACKING SOUNDS AND THAT THE HELICOPTER PITCHED UP AND GYRATED WILDLY THEN CONTINUED IN THE ORIGINAL DIRECTION OF FLIGHT AND CRASHED INTO THE LAKE AT ABOUT A 30 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ANGLE.
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: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,600 hours in all; 2,200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 31 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison C-28B3 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Austin TX at 9:30 am
- Destination: Austin TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 250 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 131°F (55°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.