Bell 206-B3 accident near Miami, Florida, January 28, 1995
On January 28, 1995 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Bell 206-B3 (helicopter), registered N5008N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miami, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION, AND A LOOSE FUEL PC LINE. THE WIRES WERE A FACTOR WHICH NECESSITATED EARLY COLLECTIVE PITCH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 28, 1995 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206-B3 · all 206-B3s on the register
- Registration
- N5008N · no longer on the register · serial 2518
- 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 STATED THAT DURING CRUISE FLIGHT, ABOUT 800 FT OVER A FOOTBALL STADIUM, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. HE INITIATED AN AUTOROTATION AND APPLIED COLLECTIVE PITCH EARLY TO AVOID WIRES. tHE HELICOPTER THEN LANDED HARD DAMAGING THE BELLY AND THE TRANSMISSION MOUNTS. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE COMPRESSOR DISCHARGE LINE [PC] WAS LOOSE AT THE FUEL CONTROL.
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: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,800 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 3,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,050 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 30, 1994; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250L-20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HWO Hollywood FL at 10:00 pm
- Destination: HWO FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 095° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from HWO, 1 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.
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.