Bell 206B III accident near Eugene Isl.Blk, June 16, 1983
On June 16, 1983 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Bell 206B III (helicopter), registered N5010U, was destroyed in an accident near Eugene Isl.Blk. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed. 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
- June 16, 1983 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Eugene Isl.Blk
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B III · all 206B IIIs on the register
- Registration
- N5010U · no longer on the register · serial 2574
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS USED TO SHUTTLE PAX & SUPPLIES BETWEEN VARIOUS OIL DRILLING PLATFORMS & WAS EN ROUTE BETWEEN TWO ISLANDS WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. WRECKAGE WAS SPOTTED 6 MILES WEST OF THE DESTINATION ISLAND. ONLY THE PILOT'S BODY WAS RETRIEVED & 2 PAX WERE PRESUMED DROWNED. THERE WERE NO DISTRESS CALLS. SEAS WERE CALM & VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. REMAINING DEBRIS WAS INSUFFICIENT TO DETERMINE A CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,478 hours in all; 509 in this make and model; 127 in the last 90 days; 2,049 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,840 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 11, 1983; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C203 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: So. Marsh Blk GM
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.