Bell 206L-1 accident near Springtown, Pennsylvania, June 17, 1988
On June 17, 1988 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter), registered N114FH, was destroyed in an accident near Springtown, Pennsylvania. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- June 17, 1988 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Springtown, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N114FH · no longer on the register · serial 45508
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT, GROUND WITNESSES OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER MAKE TWO VIOLENT ROLL MANEUVERS FOLLOWED BY AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP. AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE WAS SPREAD OVER AN AREA OF APPROXIMATELY 10 ACRES. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE COLLECTIVE IDLER LINK AND RETAINING PIN ASSEMBLY WERE MISSING AND THE LOWER ATTACHING STUD OF THE IDLER LINK SHOWED EVIDENCE OF FAILURE. THE STUD WAS BENT IN THE DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION AND SHEARED NUT THREADS AND COTTER PIN REMAINS WERE FOUND IN THE STUD THREADS AND COTTER PIN HOLE, RESPECTIVELY. THE H-SHAPED IDLER LEVER THAT CONNECTS THE UPPER END OF THE IDLER LINK TO THE SWASHPLATE DRIVE COLLAR WAS FOUND ATTACHED TO THE COLLAR AND SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF DISTRESS. IT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED WHY THE RETAINING PIN CONNECTING THE COLLECTIVE IDLER LINK TO THE IDLER LEVER SEPARATED.
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: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,702 hours in all; 92 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,826 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 16, 1987; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C28B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fleet Helicopter Services
The flight
- Departed from: A7N Manville NJ
- Destination: 63N Coopersburg PA
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N114FH 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.