Bell 206B accident near Stuart, Florida, January 27, 1984
On January 27, 1984 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N51DC, was destroyed in an accident near Stuart, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- January 27, 1984 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Stuart, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N51DC · registry record · serial 2732
- 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
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER FLYING AT 100 TO 150 FT ABOVE THE WATER & ABOUT 100 YDS OFFSHORE. THEY OBSERVED & HEARD NOTHING UNUSUAL, EXCEPT THEY SAID THE HELICOPTER BEGAN DESCENDING UNTIL IT IMPACTED THE WATER. THE REAR DOORS HAD BEEN REMOVED FOR THE FLT. BOTH PASSENGERS RELATED THAT A SEAT CUSHION WAS LOOSE AND THE PLT TURNED IN HIS SEAT WITH HIS ARM BEHIND THE SEAT & WAS TRYING TO SECURE THE CUSHION WHEN THE HELICOPTER SUDDENLY DESCENDED INTO THE WATER. NEITHER PASSENGER NOTICED ANYTHING UNUSUAL IN THE OPERATION OF THE HELICOPTER BEFORE IT CRASHED.
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: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (expired)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 813 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 14, 1983; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Stuart FL at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from VRB, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N51DC 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.