Bell 206B accident near Brattleboro, Vermont, October 29, 1986
On October 29, 1986 at about 9:10 am local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N52EG, was destroyed in an accident near Brattleboro, Vermont. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- October 29, 1986 · about 9:10 am local time
- Place
- Brattleboro, Vermont
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N52EG · no longer on the register · serial 3248
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER CRASHED INTO A WOODED RIDGE APRX 2 NM FROM IT'S LIFTOFF LOCATION. PERSONS WHO RESIDE UNDER THE FLT PATH WERE AWAKENED BY THE ACFT AS IT WAS DESCENDING INTO IMC AT WHAT SOUNDED LIKE FULL POWER. THE PLT'S HELIPORT WAS AT AN ELEVATION OF 950 FT AND WAS IN VFR CONDITIONS ABOVE THE FOG. THE CRASH SITE WAS AT 350 FT IN DENSE FOG.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 850 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 850 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,511 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 29, 1986; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison C-20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Brattleboro VT at 9:05 am
- Destination: Boston MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: at 1 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.