Bell 206L accident near Ainsworth, Nebraska, December 21, 1985
On December 21, 1985, a Bell 206L (helicopter), registered N110LG, was destroyed in an accident near Ainsworth, Nebraska. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- December 21, 1985
- Place
- Ainsworth, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L · all 206Ls on the register
- Registration
- N110LG · registry record
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS MED-EVAC HELICOPTER WAS BEING POSITIONED TO PICK UP A PATIENT. THE PLT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING WHICH INCLUDED A FORECAST FOR A CHANCE OF MARGINAL VMC ALONG THE PLANNED ROUTE, ALTHOUGH AT THE TIME OF THE BRIEFING THE DEST WEATHER WAS VMC. THE FLT DEPARTED AT ABOUT SUNDOWN AND THE DEST WX DETERIORATED WHILE THE FLT WAS ENROUTE. WITNESSES NEAR THE ACDT SITE, WHICH WAS 23 NM SE OF THE DEST. REPORTED FREEZING RAIN AND/OR WET SNOW FALLING AS THE HELICOPTER FLEW PAST THEIR RANCHES AT LOW ALT HEADING NW. IT WAS COMPLETELY DARK AT THE TIME OF THE ACDT AND THE AREA WHERE THE ACDT OCCURRED IS SPARSLEY POPULATED PROVIDING FEW GROUND LIGHTS FOR VISUAL REF. THE HELICOPTER CRASHED IN HILLY, SNOW COVERED TERRAIN IN A NEAR VERTICAL, NOSE LOW ATTITUDE AND WAS DESTROYED.
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: 2,264 hours in all; 271 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 1,834 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,625 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 12, 1985; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EAR Kearney NE
- Destination: Ainsworth NE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.