Bell 206B3 accident near Ogden, Utah, January 3, 1993
On January 3, 1993 at about 10:40 pm local time, a Bell 206B3 (helicopter), registered N1078V, was destroyed in an accident near Ogden, Utah. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUATION OF VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND HIS DECISION TO CONTINUE HIS LANDING ATTEMPTS UNDER THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE LOW CLOUDS, FOG AND MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 3, 1993 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Ogden, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B3 · all 206B3s on the register
- Registration
- N1078V · no longer on the register · serial 2923
- 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
THE PILOT WAS TRANSPORTING PERSONNEL WITHIN A REMOTE MOUNTAIN VALLEY IN SUPPORT OF THE COMMERCIAL FILMING OF CELEBRITY SKIERS. THE SKIERS HAD BEEN FILMED AS THEY SKIED DOWN A RIDGE, AND WERE BEING FLOWN BACK TO THE TOP OF THE RIDGELINE. DURING THE THIRD GO-AROUND FOLLOWING THREE ATTEMPTS TO LAND ON THE RIDGETOP LANDING SITE, THE HELICOPTER DISAPPEARED INTO A CLOUD BANK AND IMPACTED THE RIDGE AT THE 8,500-FT LEVEL. MEMBERS OF THE PARTY ON THE GROUND DESCRIBED THE AREA AS BEING 'TOTALLY SOCKED IN.' THE BASIC WEATHER SHOWN IN THE ENVIRONMENT/OPERATIONS INFORMATION SECTION WAS THE 1445 0BSERVATION AT OGDEN. OGDEN IS 15 SW OF THE ACCIDENT SITE, AT AN ELEVATION OF 4,470 FT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,925 hours in all; 643 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 36 in the last 30 days; 7,793 as pilot in command; 2,024 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,873 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 22, 1992; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm from OGD, 15 miles away
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 N1078V 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.