Bell 206B accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona, July 4, 1982
On July 4, 1982 at about 1:00 am local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N4778R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were 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
- July 4, 1982 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Grand Canyon, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4778R · no longer on the register · serial 296
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT LOST POWER DURING SIGHT-SEEING FLIGHT AND DECIDED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. HE ABORTED ONE LANDING DUE TO WIND AND WAS AT 50 AGL FOR 2ND ATTEMPT WHEN POWER DECREASED.DUE TO WIND AND LACK OF POWER THE AIRCRAFT MADE CONTACT WITH A TREE AND THE MAIN ROTOR HIT THE GROUND.
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: 5,700 hours in all; 2,460 in this make and model; 148 in the last 90 days; 5,332 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,102 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison C C-20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Grand Canyon Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: GCN Grand Canyon AZ at 5:45 pm
- Destination: GCN Grand Canyon AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 169°F (76°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.