Bell 206L-3 incident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, September 20, 1986
On September 20, 1986 at about 7:03 pm local time, a Bell 206L-3 (helicopter), registered N111GF, was involved in an incident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 6 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 incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1986 · about 7:03 pm local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-3 · all 206L-3s on the register
- Registration
- N111GF · registry record · serial 45748
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER DITCHED IN THE OCEAN AFTER SUSTAINING A FLAMEOUT. AFTER THE HELICOPTER WAS TOWED ASHORE ON ITS FLOATS THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS FOUND TO CONTAIN AT LEAST 4 GALS OF FUEL. INFO CONTAINED IN HELICOPTER MANUAL REVEALED ALL FUEL WAS USABLE EXCEPT ABOUT 1 GAL; THEREFORE FUEL EXHASTION WAS NOT IN EVIDENCE. AN EXAM OF THE HELICOPTER FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED FOREIGN MATTER. AN EXAM OF THE FUEL TRUCK THAT REFUELED THE HELICOPTER AND THE FUEL TANK STORAGE FARM WHERE TRUCK OBTAINED ITS FUEL REVEALED FOREIGN MATTER OF SIMILAR APPEARANCE. A LABORATORY ANALYSIS OF THE FUEL SAMPLES FROM THE HELICOPTER AND REFUELING SOURCE REVEALED THAT THEY WERE CHEMICALLY THE SAME.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,832 hours in all; 610 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 3,607 as pilot in command; 125 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 651 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 3, 1986; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,050 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C28B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE N.Bimini Is. OF at 6:30 pm
- Destination: FLL Ft.Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:05 pm from FLL, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA86IA250.