Bell 206B accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona, August 22, 1982
On August 22, 1982 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N83037, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona. 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
- August 22, 1982 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Canyon, Arizona · map
- 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
- N83037 · no longer on the register · serial 1128
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FLIGHT AT ABOUT 300 FT AGL, THERE WAS AN ABRUPT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE PILOT DESCENDED AT 60 TO 70 KTS, THEN MADE AN AUTOROTATIVE LANDING ON A DIRT ROAD. DURING THE LANDING, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK THE TAIL BOOM. AN ENGINE TEARDOWN REVEALED THAT THE SPUR ADAPTER GEARSHAFT, PN 6899196, HAD FAILED AT THE FORWARD SPLINES. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS OVER 9000 FT.
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
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,800 hours in all; 2,560 in this make and model; 216 in the last 90 days; 72 in the last 30 days; 5,432 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,093 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison C20-B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GCN Grand Canyon AZ at 9:40 am
- Destination: GCN Grand Canyon AZ
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 167°F (75°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.