Bell 206B accident near Winthrop, Washington, February 4, 1990
On February 4, 1990 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N49573, was substantially damaged in an accident near Winthrop, Washington. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
WATER CONTAMINATION OF THE FUEL AND THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT. DARKNESS AND THE OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 4, 1990 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Winthrop, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N49573 · no longer on the register · serial 1665
- 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 A LOCAL FLIGHT TO TRANSPORT SKIERS TO A MOUNTAIN, THE PILOT INITIATED A DESCENT FOR LANDING. WHEN APPROXIMATELY 30 FT AGL, DESCENT WAS TERMINATED DUE TO LOSS OF VISIBILITY FROM BLOWING SNOW. WHEN THE SNOW SETTLED, DESCENT WAS CONTINUED. JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN, VISIBILITY WAS AGAIN REDUCED AND THE PILOT LOST HIS REFERENCE POINT. THE HELICOPTER TOUCHED DOWN LEFT SKID FIRST AND IMMEDIATELY ROLLED OVER.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,981 hours in all; 1,442 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 3,484 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,309 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 21, 1989; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Mazama WA at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N49573 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.