Bell 206B accident near Miami, Florida, July 6, 1983
On July 6, 1983 at about 8:25 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N63RC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miami, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. 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
- July 6, 1983 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N63RC · registry record · serial 1255
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT AS HE SLOWED THE HELICOPTER TO AT OR NEAR 'EFFECTIVE TRANSLATIONAL LIFT' TO LET PAXS OBSV SOME CONSTRUCTION HE HEARD THE ENGINE MAKE A LOUD NOISE AND FAIL. THE ACFT WAS AT ABT 300 FT AGL AT 30-40 KTS. DURING LNDG FLARE THE T/R AND T/BOOM CONTACTED A TREE AND SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT AND IT CAME TO REST ON ITS RT SIDE. TEARDOWN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT THE BEARING SEPARATOR IN NUMBER 1 BEARING FAILED DUE TO FATIGUE.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,635 hours in all; 1,773 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 47,254 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 906 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C-20 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X44 Miami FL at 6:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 |
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.