Bell 206B accident near Staten Island, New York, November 6, 1986
On November 6, 1986 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N83086, was substantially damaged in an accident near Staten Island, New York. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- November 6, 1986 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Staten Island, New York
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N83086 · no longer on the register · serial 914
- 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 ON-DEMAND CARGO FLIGHT ENCOUNTERED A BIRD STRIKE ENROUTE FROM NEW JERSEY TO JAMAICA, NEW YORK. THE PILOT RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURY TO THE EYE AND CHECKBONE BUT WAS ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A PARKING LOT WITHOUT FURTHER DAMAGE OR INJURY.
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
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,479 hours in all; 1,505 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 1,475 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,397 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1986; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Edison NJ at 10:22 pm
- Destination: JFK Jamaica NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N83086 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.