Bell 205A-1 accident near Elk Rock, Washington, September 5, 1983
On September 5, 1983 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Bell 205A-1 (helicopter), registered N58034, was destroyed in an accident near Elk Rock, Washington. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 7 people were seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries. 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
- September 5, 1983 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Elk Rock, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 7 people were seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 205A-1 · all 205A-1s on the register
- Registration
- N58034 · no longer on the register · serial 30132
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS CLIMBING THRU ABOUT 800 FT AGL, WHEN THE PLT NOTED A SEVERE SHUDDER & VIBRATION. HE LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE, THEN NOTICED THAT THE N2 & ROTOR RPM WERE PEGGED AT 110%. AS HE REAPPLIED THE COLLECTIVE TO STOP THE OVERSPEED, HE NOTED A LOSS OF THRUST & BEGAN AN AUTOROTATION. THE ONLY SUITABLE AREA OF LAND WAS ON A MUD FLOWN. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO TURN INTO THE WIND IN THE LANDING AREA. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER RECEIVED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE DURING AN AUTOROTATIVE LANDING, DOWNWIND, ON ROUGH TERRAIN. A DISASSEMBLY & EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT THE SHAFT BEARING (#21), PN 1-300-082-01, AND THE N2 TACHOMETER DRIVE SPUR GEAR, PN 1-070-062-04, HAD FAILED. FATIGUE WAS FOUND ON THE SPUR GEAR.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,677 hours in all; 1,174 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,550 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 6, 1983; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,500 lb
- Seats: 15
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming T53-13B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Hoffstadt WA at 8:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 7 | 4 |
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.