Bell 206B2 accident near Anahuac, Texas, September 25, 1997
On September 25, 1997 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Bell 206B2 (helicopter), registered N59396, was destroyed in an accident near Anahuac, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inability to maintain control of the helicopter after encountering a dynamic rollover due to entanglement of the external load cable with the left landing gear skid.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1997 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Anahuac, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B2 · all 206B2s on the register
- Registration
- N59396 · no longer on the register · serial 1168
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was being used to perform sling load operations, transporting water in a 100 gallon bambi bucket suspended by a 100 foot long line. During the operation, the helicopter impacted in a marshy area at a high rate of descent with very low forward speed approximately 100 feet west of his water pick up point. There were no reported eyewitnesses to the accident. A ground impression (corresponding to the water bucket) was found approximately 200 feet to the west of the resting place of the main wreckage. The 3 to 5 foot tall grass on the southern portion of the hole made by the water bucket was found pushed or laid back in a southerly direction. Deep impressions were found aft of the toe of the left skid tube (at the attaching point where it attaches to the crosstube), which corresponded to the steel cable that was being used in conjunction with the external load. No similar impressions were found on the other skid or crosstube assemblies. No evidence of pre-impact mechanical failure or malfunction was found within the helicopter or related components. The commercial pilot had accumulated a total of 4 hours operating with a 100 foot sling.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,525 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 12,525 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,196 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 17, 1997; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T29 Pearland TX at 12:30 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.