Bell 206B accident near Austin, Texas, March 19, 1987
On March 19, 1987 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N666TV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Austin, Texas (Kvue Heliport airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- March 19, 1987 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Austin, Texas · Kvue Heliport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N666TV · no longer on the register · serial 2217
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT WAS DAMAGED DURING A HARD LANDING ON A ROOF TOP HELIPORT FOLLOWING A PARTIAL POWER LOSS AS A RESULT OF AN UNCOMMANDED ENGINE DECELERATION. AS THE ACFT WAS 40' ABOVE AND 40' OUT FROM THE HELIPORT PAD, THE POWER LOSS OCCURRED AND THE PLT STRETCHED HIS GLIDE TO LAND ON THE PAD. THE HARD LANDING OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF DECAYED MAIN ROTOR RPM. EXAMINATION AND FUNCTIONAL TESTING OF THE ENGINE DID NOT REVEAL THE CAUSE OF THE POWER LOSS.
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: 3,743 hours in all; 519 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 3,454 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,970 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 28, 1987; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250 C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Omni Flight,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: AUS
- Destination: 60TA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from AUS, 4 miles away
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.