Bell 206B accident near Jamestown, Louisiana, August 27, 1982
On August 27, 1982 at about 10:00 am local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N5754P, was destroyed in an accident near Jamestown, Louisiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- August 27, 1982 · about 10:00 am local time
- Place
- Jamestown, Louisiana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5754P · no longer on the register · serial 3069
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING AERIAL BURNING OPERATIONS OVER A WOODED AREA WHEN HE HEARD A LOUD BANG FROM THE ENGINE AREA OF THE HELICOPTER. AT THAT TIME, THE HELICOPTER WAS APPROXIMATELY 20 FT ABOVE THE TALLEST TREE IN THE AREA WITH THE AERIAL TORCH BURNING. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE RPM AUDIO IMMEDIATELY CAME ON AND THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO DESCEND. HE KEYED THE MICROPHONE AND CALLED "ENGINE FAILURE, ENGINE FAILURE" TWICE, AND DIRECTED THE HELICOPTER TO THE CLEAREST AREA. AFTER CRASHING INTO TREES, THE PILOT MANAGED TO CRAWL OUT. THE HELICOPTER WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT AND FIRE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE MAIN DRIVE SHAFT, PN 206-040-110-3, HAD FAILED, THUS DISCONNECTING THE ENGINE FROM THE MAIN ROTOR.
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
- Flight time: 5,035 hours in all; 337 in this make and model; 139 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 3,714 as pilot in command; 106 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,040 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: International Paper CO.
The flight
- Departed from: Jamestown LA at 9:25 am
- Destination: Jamestown LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 18 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 183°F (84°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
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.