Bell 206-B accident near Battle Mountain, Nevada, August 22, 1983
On August 22, 1983 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Bell 206-B (helicopter), registered N17355, was destroyed in an accident near Battle Mountain, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 1983 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Battle Mountain, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206-B · all 206-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N17355 · registry record · serial 694
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER LOST POWER DURING TAKEOFF,TOUCHED DOWN ON THE LEFT SKID,BOUNCED AND ROLLED OVER. THE FLT HAD ORIGINATED AT 1315 AT A LOCAL FIELD AND PROCEEDED TO PICK UP A PASSENGER AT ANOTHER LOCATION. THE ACFT HAD JUST LANDED, PICKED UP THE PASSENGER AND WAS DEPARTING TO TAKE HIM TO A MINING CLAIMS SURVEY WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE HELICOPTER WAS EXAMINED AND THE ENGINE WAS TORN DOWN BUT NO REASON FOR THE POWER LOSS WAS FOUND. IN THE FUEL GOVERNOR AND FUEL CONTROLLER SMALL BITS OF METAL, WOOD, CLOTH AND AN 'O' RING WERE FOUND. IN THE OPINION OF THE TECHNICIANS THIS WAS CONSISTENT WITH A SYSTEM OPERATING IN BYPASS & COULD NOT BY THEMSELVES HAVE CAUSED A SUDDEN PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER. SOME OTHER MINOR DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND, NONE OF WHICH SHOULD HAVE AFFECTED NORMAL OPERATION OF THE ENGINE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,710 hours in all; 3,001 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 5,110 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,036 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C-20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:32 pm from BAM, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX83FA400.