Bell 206B accident near Port O'Connor, Texas, November 19, 1982
On November 19, 1982 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N16659, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port O'Connor, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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
- November 19, 1982 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Port O'Connor, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N16659 · no longer on the register · serial 2076
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHEN HE TOOK OFF AT 1348 CST, THE WEATHER WAS 400 FT OVERCAST, 2 TO 5 MI VISIBILITY WITH RAIN. ABOUT 10 MIN LATER, HE ARRIVED AT THE PORT O'CONNOR JETTY AND COULD SEE ACROSS MATAGORDA BAY TO PORT O'CONNOR. ABOUT HALFWAY ACROSS THE BAY, SEVERE TURBULENCE AND RAIN (ASSOCIATED WITH A THUNDERSTORM) WERE ENCOUNTERED. THE PILOT MADE A 180 DEG TURN AND ATTEMPTED TO PROCEED TO A BEACH TO LAND. AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL, WHILE ON A LANDING APPROACH, A SEVERE DOWNDRAFT WAS ENCOUNTERED. FULL POWER WAS APPLIED, BUT THE DESCENT CONTINUED AND THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED IN THE WATER IN A NEAR LEVEL ATTITUDE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,972 hours in all; 3,175 in this make and model; 83 in the last 90 days; 6,492 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,508 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Houston Helicopters INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Matagorda TX at 1:48 pm
- Destination: Amarillo TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 30 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.