Bell 206B accident near Los Angeles, California, January 15, 1995
On January 15, 1995 at about 3:45 am local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N2209P, was destroyed in an accident near Los Angeles, California (Burbank Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S AND OPERATOR'S FAILURE TO FOLLOW THEIR ESTABLISHED DISPATCH PROCEDURES, THE PILOT'S POOR JUDGMENT IN INITIATING THE FLIGHT, AND THE EXISTING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 1995 · about 3:45 am local time
- Place
- Los Angeles, California · Burbank Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2209P · registry record · serial 3520
- 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 PILOT REQUESTED AND RECEIVED A SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE OUT OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AND PROCEEDED SOUTHBOUND FROM THE BURBANK AIRPORT. THE AIRPORT PREVAILING WEATHER WAS 300 FT BROKEN; VISIBILITY 2-1/2 MI WITH FOG AND LIGHT RAIN. THE HELICOPTER CONTINUED SOUTHBOUND UNTIL IT COLLIDED WITH HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION WIRES ABOUT 150 FT AGL. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT THE HELICOPTER DID NOT CLIMB MORE THAN 300 FT ABOVE THE GROUND AFTER DEPARTURE. GROUND WITNESSES REPORTED THAT DUE THE PREVAILING RAIN SHOWERS, CLOUD OBSCURATION, AND A 1/4-MI VISIBILITY, THE HELICOPTER WAS BARELY DISTINGUISHABLE. THE HELICOPTER BECAME ENTANGLED WITH THE SECOND SET OF WIRES UNTIL THE MAIN ROTOR ASSEMBLY SEPARATED AND THEN IT PLUNGED TO THE GROUND. THE PILOT DID NOT OBTAIN A WEATHER BRIEFING FROM THE FSS, NOR FILE A FLIGHT PLAN. HE DID RECEIVE THE CURRENT ATIS BEFORE DEPARTING.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,421 hours in all; 311 in this make and model; 59 in the last 90 days; 3,417 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,255 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 28, 1994; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wolfe Air Aviation LTD.
The flight
- Departed from: BUR Burbank CA at 3:39 am
- Destination: CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.