Bell 206B accident near Swan Valley, Idaho, June 11, 1982
On June 11, 1982 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N1074Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Swan Valley, Idaho. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- June 11, 1982 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Swan Valley, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1074Z · no longer on the register · serial 2891
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED DURING AN EXTERNAL LOAD OPERATION AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 6700 FT MSL IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED 8 GALLONS REMAINING WHEN HE LAST CHECKED IT BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. REPORTEDLY, HE CHECKED HIS INSTRUMENTS PRIOR TO LETTING A LOAD DOWN INTO TREES, AND HE HAD NO CAUTION OR WARNING LIGHTS. WHILE SETTING THE LOAD DOWN ON THE GROUND, HE HEARD THE TURBINE RPM DECAY. HE MOVED ABOUT 25 FT RIGHT AND 20 FT FORWARD TO CLEAR THE TREES. DURING THE LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON SLOPING TERRAIN AND ROLLED OVER. THERE WERE NO REPORTED MALFUNCTIONS OF THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE OR FUEL SYSTEM.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,730 hours in all; 1,250 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 5,420 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,798 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C-20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Swan Valley ID at 9:10 am
- Destination: Swan Valley ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 131°F (55°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N1074Z 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.