Bell 206B accident near Dallas, Texas, July 24, 1984
On July 24, 1984 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N16981, was destroyed in an accident near Dallas, Texas. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 1984 · about 4:50 pm local time · cases in 1984
- Place
- Dallas, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N16981 · registry record · serial 2347
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER CIRCLING A 523 FT, FREE STANDING, COMMUNICATIONS TOWER. AFTER CIRCLING SEVERAL TIMES, HELICOPTER PASSED CLOSE TO THE TOWER & A MAIN ROTOR BLADE STRUCK IT AT THE 451 FT LEVEL. THE OUTBOARD PORTION OF THE ROTOR BLADE SEPARATED AS WELL AS SOME PORTIONS OF THE TOWER, INCLUDING A X-BRACE. THE HELICOPTER THEN SPUN & TUMBLED TO THE GROUND. IT IMPACTED IN A NOSE-LOW, INVERTED ATTITUDE & BURNED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
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: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,689 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,109 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Detr. Diesel 250-C-20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RBD Dallas TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from DAL, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N16981 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Bell 206 JetRanger and LongRanger 1,453 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Bell 3,079 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Detr. Diesel 250-C-20B · as the NTSB recorded it
- Dallas Executive · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,064 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,958 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW84FA321.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.