Bell 206 accident near Athens, Ohio, August 7, 1990
On August 7, 1990 at about 1:12 pm local time, a Bell 206 (helicopter), registered N49651, was substantially damaged in an accident near Athens, Ohio. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO VISUALLY ACQUIRE AND MAINTAIN CLEARANCE FROM THE POWERLINE(S). CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 1990 · about 1:12 pm local time
- Place
- Athens, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Bell 206 · all 206s on the register
- Registration
- N49651 · registry record · serial 1804
- 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
DURING FLIGHT, THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT REDUCED VISIBILITY TO LESS THAN 1 MILE. HE STATED THAT BECAUSE OF HIS REDUCED GROUND CLEARANCE AND VISIBILITY, HE DECIDED TO TURN AROUND AND GO BACK TO BETTER WEATHER CONDITIONS. MOMENTS AFTER HE MADE THE DECISION, THE SKID OF THE HELICOPTER HIT A WIRE. THE HELICOPTER TURNED TO THE RIGHT AND THE TAIL ROTOR STRUCK THE WIRE(S). THE PILOT REDUCED POWER AND ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION. THE HELICOPTER MADE APPROXIMATELY TWO AND THREE QUARTER TURNS BEFORE CONTACTING THE GROUND.
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: 5,900 hours in all; 2,215 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 5,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,812 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 21, 1990; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Helicopter Elite Service,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: Pickerington OH
- Destination: CRW Charleston WV
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.