Bell 206B accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, March 9, 1991
On March 9, 1991 at about 3:40 am local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N2072C, was destroyed in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INACCURATE FUEL CONSUMPTION CALCULATION BY THE PILOT. A FACTOR WAS THE PARTIAL DEFLATION OF THE EMERGENCY FLOTATION EQUIPMENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 1991 · about 3:40 am local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2072C · registry record · serial 3422
- 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
IN WRITTEN AND ORAL STATEMENTS PROVIDED BY THE PILOT AND PASSENGER, THE AIRCRAFT'S ENGINE WAS STARTED ABOUT 1420 HOURS HST. THE HELICOPTER DEPARTED HONOLULU, HAWAII, FOR A RESEARCH VESSEL LOCATED ABOUT 130 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTH. THE PILOT WAS NOT ABLE TO LOCATE THE SHIP AND DECIDED TO RETURN TO HONOLULU. THE PILOT ESTABLISHED RADIO CONTACT WITH HONOLULU TRACON AND REPORTED MINIMUM FUEL STATUS. ABOUT 15 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTH OF HONOLULU, THE ENGINE LOST TOTAL POWER DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE PILOT SUCCESSFULLY AUTOROTATED TO THE WATER, BUT AFTER TOUCHING DOWN THE RIGHT FORWARD EMERGENCY FLOTATION GEAR DEFLATED, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO SINK.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,134 hours in all; 1,803 in this make and model; 78 in the last 90 days; 6,979 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Kenai Air Of Hawaii, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 25 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,800 ft
- 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.