Bell 206B accident near San Antonio, Texas, May 27, 1984
On May 27, 1984 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N102CD, was destroyed in an accident near San Antonio, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. 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
- May 27, 1984 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- San Antonio, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N102CD · registry record · serial 2808
- 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
IN A LEFT ORBIT THE HELICOPTER YAWED RIGHT AND CONTINUED THE RIGHT ROTATION TO IMPACT. AT THE TIME OF THE LOSS OF CONTROL THE ACFT WAS OPERATING OUT OF GROUND EFFECT AT 250 FT AGL WITH A DENSITY ALT OF 3751 FT AND AN INDICATED AIRSPEED OF 20 TO 25 KTS. THE PLT'S ATTEMPTS TO REGAIN CONTROL WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,439 hours in all; 301 in this make and model; 117 in the last 90 days; 6,439 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 997 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 1983; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Chaparral Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: SAT San Antonio TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:15 pm from SAT, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 3 |
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.