Bell 206-BIII accident near Kooskia, Idaho, December 2, 1983
On December 2, 1983 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Bell 206-BIII (helicopter), registered N49584, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kooskia, Idaho (Fish Lake airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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
- December 2, 1983 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Kooskia, Idaho · Fish Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206-BIII · all 206-BIIIs on the register
- Registration
- N49584 · no longer on the register · serial 49584
- 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 HELICOPTER LANDED HARD AND ROLLED OVER TO THE RIGHT. THE EVENTS STARTED WHEN THE PILOT HEARD THE END OF A SEAT BELT BANGING AGAINST THE OUTSIDE OF THE ACFT WHERE IT HAD BEEN CAUGHT IN THE DOOR. THE PILOT DECIDED TO LAND AND SECURE THE BELT. DURING LANDING THE DOWNWASH FROM THE ACFT BLEW UP SNOW AND THE PILOT LOST SIGHT OF THE GROUND. A HARD LANDING AND ROLLOVER RESULTED.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,505 hours in all; 3,600 in this make and model; 203 in the last 90 days; 7,386 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,152 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 9, 1983; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C-20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Valley Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: S92 Fish Lake ID at 7:35 pm
- Destination: S68 Orifino ID
- Runway 0, 2,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.