Bell 206B accident near Natchitoches, Louisiana, November 29, 1994
On November 29, 1994 at about 8:32 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N2183P, was destroyed in an accident near Natchitoches, Louisiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE DELAYED FLARE AND THE IMPROPER TOUCHDOWN BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND. FACTORS WERE THE OPERATION OF THE AIRCRAFT WITH KNOWN DEFICIENCIES BY THE OPERATOR AND THE PILOT, DELAYED MAINTENANCE, AND, AN ENGINE COMPRESSOR ASSEMBLY STALL, COMBINED WITH EROSION AND CORROSION OF THE STATOR VANES WHICH RESULTED IN A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 1994 · about 8:32 pm local time
- Place
- Natchitoches, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2183P · registry record · serial 3470
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHT, THE HELICOPTER EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO MECHANICAL REASONS. THE MAINTENANCE HISTORY REVEALED THAT THE ENGINE HAD EXPERIENCED A SERIES OF COMPRESSOR STALLS DURING THE LAST 132 HOURS OF FLIGHT. COMPANY MANAGEMENT ELECTED TO DEFER REQUIRED MAINTENANCE UNTIL THEIR 'BUSY SEASON WAS OVER.' THE METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT INTERGRANULAR CORROSION AND EROSION OF THE STATOR VANES COMBINED TO EFFECTIVELY WEAKEN THE INDIVIDUAL VANES STRUCTURALLY. A COMPRESSOR STALL WAS EXPERIENCED. THE PILOT PERFORMED AN AUTOROTATION AND DURING TOUCHDOWN THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES SEVERED THE TAIL BOOM.
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: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,427 hours in all; 67 in this make and model; 62 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 2,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,455 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 15, 1994; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from SHV, 90 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N2183P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.