Bell 206 accident near Boston, Massachusetts, April 30, 1984
On April 30, 1984 at about 7:33 pm local time, a Bell 206 (helicopter), registered N3913W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boston, Massachusetts. 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
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
- April 30, 1984 · about 7:33 pm local time
- Place
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N3913W · no longer on the register · serial 45670
- 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
AFTER TAKEOFF, THE HELICOPTER WAS CLIMBING THRU 200 TO 300 FT AGL, AT 50 TO 60 KTS, WHEN A PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED. THIS WAS FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. THE PLT INITIATED AN AUTOROTATION & LANDED IN A RAILROAD SWITCHING AREA WHERE THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES & TAIL BOOM SKIDS WERE DAMAGED. AN EXAM & GROUND RUN-UP OF THE ENG REVEALED NO REASON FOR THE LOSS OF POWER.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,289 hours in all; 318 in this make and model; 168 in the last 90 days; 2,769 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 561 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 16, 1984; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C28B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: South Boston MA at 7:30 pm
- Destination: Quincy MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 18 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.