Bell 47G-5A accident near Agana, May 6, 1986
On May 6, 1986 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Bell 47G-5A (helicopter), registered N2996W, was destroyed in an accident near Agana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- May 6, 1986 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Agana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-5A · all 47G-5As on the register
- Registration
- N2996W · no longer on the register · serial 25083
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER CRASHED INTO THE OCEAN WHEN THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO LIFT OFF FROM A TUNA BOAT. REPORTEDLY, ONLY THREE OF THE FOUR TIEDOWN ROPES, WHICH HAD SECURED THE HELICOPTER TO THE BOAT, HAD BEEN RELEASED. THE PLT'S MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WAS DATED 1/18/84.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,575 hours in all; 3,327 in this make and model; 270 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.