Bell 206B3 accident near Stoneyford, California, June 17, 1993
On June 17, 1993 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Bell 206B3 (helicopter), registered N38EA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stoneyford, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 pilot's inadequate compensation for the existing wind conditions during a hover operation. A factor in the accident was the high density altitude and the gusting, variable wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 1993 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Stoneyford, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B3 · all 206B3s on the register
- Registration
- N38EA · no longer on the register · serial 2555
- 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
The pilot said that he had established a hover in a mountain landing zone and was in the process of air taxiing to a point where the cargo could be unloaded. The pilot said that a gust of wind buffeted the helicopter and the tail rotor contacted a rise in the ground. The pilot said he then lost all yaw directional control and the helicopter settled hard into a creek, resulting in a buckle to the boom and damage to the internal skid attach structure.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,600 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 61 in the last 30 days; 4,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,645 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 19, 1992; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Smith Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°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.
Other NTSB records under N38EA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.