Bell 206BII accident near Atlanta, Idaho, September 14, 1985
On September 14, 1985 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Bell 206BII (helicopter), registered N58012, was destroyed in an accident near Atlanta, Idaho. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 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 14, 1985 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206BII · all 206BIIs on the register
- Registration
- N58012 · no longer on the register · serial 1027
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A LOSS OF PWR OCCURRED SHORTLY BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. THE LEFT SKID STRUCK A ROCK DURING TOUCHDOWN CAUSING THE ACFT TO ROLL ONTO ITS RIGHT SIDE. TWENTY-FIVE FLT HRS PRIOR TO THIS FLT AN IDENTICAL SITUATION OCCURRED AND A LOOSE AIR LINE TO THE FUEL CONTROL WAS FOUND. ALTHOUGH NO SPECIFIC REASON COULD BE DETERMINED FOR THIS LOSS OF PWR, A SPLIT 'O' RING TO THE GOVERNOR OF THE PY ORIFICE WAS DISCOVERED WHICH COULD ACCOUNT FOR THE PARTIAL PWR LOSS.
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: 2,043 hours in all; 995 in this make and model; 128 in the last 90 days; 2,043 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,942 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 1, 1985; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 52U Atlanta ID at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 12:15 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.