June 18, 1986: Grand Canyon Airlines, Inc. / Helitech Inc., deHavilland DHC-6 (N76GC) / Bell 206B III (N6TC) Mid-Air Collision, Grand Canyon, AZ
June 18, 1986. The morning was clear and sunny when a deHavilland DHC-6-300 Twin Otter "Vistaliner" (N76GC) operated by Grand Canyon Airlines departed for it's hour long air tour. On board were 18 passengers, many of whom were Dutch citizens booked through a tour company promoted by American Express. The two crew members were seasoned air tour pilots with several years flying the Grand Canyon.
Less than a mile north of the airport, a Bell 206B Jet Ranger helicopter (N6TC) operated by Helitech Inc. was preparing for a 40 minute tour flight with four passengers. The pilot of the helicopter was also highly experienced.
Both flights proceeded normally on their prescribed air tour flights even though no set regulations or standardized routes existed at the time. All flights within the airspace of Grand Canyon in regards to routes and altitudes were conducted by a "gentleman's agreement" with the various air tour companies. A suggested five hundred foot altitude separation of helicopters and airplanes was the safety cushion.
At about 9:30 AM, the two flights were approaching a geologic formation known as Mencius Temple. The Twin Otter, call sign "Canyon 6" from the west and the Bell Jet Ranger, call sign "Tech 2" from the north. For reasons undetermined to this day, both aircraft collided in a horrific impact at an altitude of 6,500 feet. The collision separated the main rotor mast from the helicopter while the disintegrating rotor blades tore into the Vistaliner's tail section causing it to separate in-flight. Both airplane and helicopter pitched over and fell inverted onto the southwestern slope of Mencius Temple. All 25 persons on both aircraft perished, making this accident the second deadliest air disaster in the Grand Canyon to date.
***********************************************************************************************************************************
HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
Unlike the June 30, 1956 accident, the wreckage from this collision was for the most part entirely removed from the national park. The wreckage materials from both airplane and helicopter were taken to a private property location near the town of Tusayan, Arizona and discarded.
During 1990, I was given permission by the land owner to take what I wanted as he was frustrated by the salvage company that never removed the wreckage. Within the debris I found many identifiable personal effects which were overlooked by the initial recovery efforts. I was able to return these items to very grateful surviving family members. The other fragments of wreckage that I have collected and documented provide a tangible historical record to this tragic event in the aviation history of Arizona.
In November 2010, I hiked into the crash site area from the Grand Canyon's North Rim. It was an opportunity to actually see the accident site first hand and to document any remaining wreckage. The crash sites are located on the Tonto Plateau nearly 1,200 feet above the Colorado River and almost 6,000 feet below the canyon's North Rim. The area is designated by the National Park Service as "Wild" since there are no trails, no services, and very few water sources.
This accident was a catalyst event that led the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to require that all turbine commercial passenger aircraft be required to have Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) installed. This accident also led the FAA to develop a rules and regulations for standardizing air tour routes and altitudes within the Grand Canyon National Park as well as other selected national park boundaries. The result was an increase in air safety and a reduction of aircraft noise levels within the park.
In the end, it was decided to scrap the parts. Jeff Stevenson, seen here in this photo was not disappointed to see these "reminders" hauled away.
Mr. Stevenson, worked for Helitech in 1986. He knew both of the "Canyon 6" pilots and Helitech pilot John Thybony. Jeff was working on that fateful day in 1986 and helped launch "Tech 2" on it's last flight.
VISITING THE ACCIDENT SITE - 2010
To reach the crash site would require a several mile, multi-day off trail hike from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The trek would take me into one of the wildest, most remote areas of the canyon's outback country.
The accident site (yellow circle) is only three miles away in a straight line. This view is from Point Sublime on the canyon's North Rim.
1st. ATTEMPT - OCTOBER 2010
Trying to leave the North Rim after the first hike attempt, we were faced with numerous wind-fallen trees that blocked the road. Between the four of us we were able to move and/or drive around most of these obstacles.
Since my next attempt to reach the crash sites would be a solo hike, I decided the best way to avoid these problems would be to ride an ATV to the parking area near Point Sublime.
2nd. ATTEMPT - NOVEMBER 2010
The morning of my second attempt to reach the crash sites, the temperature at the Point Sublime Meadow was in the low 20s and the ground was covered with freshly fallen snow.
In this photo, I am making final preparations on the ATV for the 13 mile drive to the parking area and the start of my hike into the canyon.
Even though the road was rough and snow covered, it was well marked with signs to help lead the way.
STARTING DOWN
From the canyon's North Rim, there are ten distinct layers of rock that one must pass through during a hike into Grand Canyon.
On this trip, I will have to work my way down and back up through nine of them with an elevation change of nearly 6,000 feet.
NEGOTIATING POUR-OFFS AND DROP-OFFS
This off-trail hike was one of the toughest I have made in the canyon, but the steep and rocky 60 degree slopes off the North Rim compared little to finding a suitable route.
The Redwall Limestone layer on average is about 500-800 feet thick and the west fork of Tuna Creek cuts through most of it leaving a series of steep impassable pour-offs and cliffs.
The yellow line depicts my route down through this area as I made my way around these obstacles.
This monster 80-100 foot vertical pour-off in the west fork of Tuna Creek had to be by-passed on the left.
In preparation for my second attempt to reach the crash sites, I researched the route thoroughly by reading guide books by veteran canyoneers Harvey Butchart and George Steck.
In addition, I reviewed several aerial photographs of my proposed route which included the circled large pour-off and a secondary smaller pour-off in the creek bed.
Once I was passed the pour-offs and drop-offs, I still faced a great deal of rough boulder hopping in the creek bed.
A PLACE TO REST
After a long day of hiking and with skies becoming dark and cloudy, I made camp under this rock shelter. Later in the evening it rained for about two hours, but this big boulder "roof" kept me dry.
ONWARD TO THE CRASH SITE
The next day, after a mile of hiking, the creek bed became a little easier to travel.
A natural spring or seep in the creek bed provided the additional and much needed water for my hike. Finding water in this part of the canyon is rare.
This particular water source has been known for many years and historically provided hydration for three members of a military bomber crew that became stranded in the canyon after they bailed out of their B-24 Bomber aircraft in June 1944.
THE TONTO PLATEAU
The route up and onto the Tonto Plateau was marked by a small cairn indicating the hiking route. These routes across the Tonto are often used by long distance canyon hikers and are not considered established trails. Sometimes, only a cairn of rocks placed by another hiker marks the route.
From an aircraft, the remote Tonto Plateau appears to be a flat and easy hike, but it's an illusion. There is a series of deep ravines and drainages that must be traversed.
DANGERS ON THE TONTO
It was too cold during my hike to encounter rattlesnakes or scorpions, but there were plenty of spikey plants to ruin my day out here.
All kinds of cactus were encountered on the hike, but the Prickly Pear was everywhere on the Tonto.
The Yucca was also a common sight on the hike. For some reason these plants with their needle sharp spines always seemed to block my route.
The spines of the Yucca are very sharp. A direct hit by one or more of these points in a leg can be extremely painful.
Often, the spines break-off in the wound and infection will set in. Surgery is usually the only method to remove the embedded broken spines.
THE MAIN IMPACT SITE OF "CANYON 6"
By studying aerial photographs taken at the time of the accident, I was able to determine the location of the main impact point of the Twin Otter.
The crash site of "Canyon 6" lies on a gentle 20 degree slope on the southwest side of Mencius Temple.
The site itself had been cleaned up very well by the Park Service. This was not surprising considering the large amount of wreckage that was present at the dump site near Tusayan.
With Geikie Peak looming in th distance, the impact site covered an area of about 30 by 50 feet. A 20 foot radius burn area was present at the site.
A majority of small aircraft components, personal effects, and coins were located in the burn area.
The burn area contained numerous small artifacts that were overlooked by the recovery crews in 1986.
Some evidence of molten aluminum and fire cracked rock was located at the impact site's burn area.
The most telling objects found at the impact site of "Canyon 6" was an occasional finding of a passenger personal effect. One such item was this wristwatch that I located in the burn area.
This gold plated Bulova Accutron was a fine watch back in 1986. Occasionaly wristwatches located at accident sites are used by investigators to help aid in determining the time of the accident when no other means is available.
BULOVA ACCUTRON WATCH
Designed in America and handcrafted in Switzerland, this Bulova Accutron is identical to the one located at the crash site.
I studied this watch extensively at the crash site and even though it was burned and the timepiece hands missing, the burned "shadowed" imprint of the minute hand position was still visible on the watch dial.
The watch was indicating :26 minutes past the hour. The shorter hour hand position was not as obvious, but was probably positioned near the "Accutron" name due to the build-up of deposits in the 9:00 position.
The corner piece of a flight instrument casing was melted extensively by the post crash fire.
A partially melted knob from one of the two barometric altimeters that was installed in the Twin Otter's instrument panel.
I spent nearly two hours at the "Canyon 6" impact site recording and photographing the artifacts located in the burn area.
Considering the large amount of material located at the dump site, I was actually surprised with the amount of remaining material at the crash site.
Each pilot of "Canyon 6" utilized headsets manufactured by the David Clark Corporation. These two green plastic fragments are from the headset's ear-cups.
A speaker fragment from a pilot's communication headset lay amid other debris from the Twin Otter.
This burned passenger seat belt latch was a somber reminder of the 18 passengers that perished on "Canyon 6".
A manufacture's data tag from a passenger seat belt strap.
This cluster of coins located in the impact burn area probably came from a passenger's pocket or change purse.
A ten cent coin from the Netherlands was one of a few found at the impact site. A majority of "Canyon 6's" passengers were Dutch nationals from The Netherlands.
An aircraft upper door latch with it's bolt extended in the "lock" position was identified as being from one of the two crew doors on the Twin Otter aircraft.
The largest fragment located at the "Canyon 6" impact site was this ten inch piece of burned aircraft structure.
A metal tag from a woman passenger's "Laurent David" handbag.
According to research, handbags and luggage manufactured by European designer "Laurent David" were popular luxury items during the mid-1980s.
A burned 35mm film roll from a passenger's camera was a reminder that this was an air tour flight full of vacationing travelers.
This passenger's film camera lens exhibited signs of heat damage from the intense post crash fire.
The remains of a camera lens skylight filter lies on the ground burned and twisted by impact forces.
A burned and partially melted fragment from one of the large "Vistaliner" windows of the Twin Otter.
It was a bit surreal to handle pieces of the "Canyon 6" Twin Otter as it's sister aircraft flew overhead on their hourly air tour flights over the canyon.
These fragments were components from the two Pratt and Whitney PT6A free-turbine engines that powered "Canyon 6".
The mechanism on the left was the propeller governor control armature while the gear spindle on the right was from the engine's propeller reduction gearbox.
There are literally hundreds of feet of steel flight control cable in the Twin Otter, but these fragments were the only strands I located at the crash site.
A sealed and closed cosmetic lipstick container was found outside of the burn area.
