1986 Grand Canyon mid-air collision

1986 Grand Canyon mid-air collision
Grand Canyon Airlines Flight 6 · Helitech Flight 2
Accident
DateJune 18, 1986 (1986-06-18)
SummaryMid-air collision
SiteGrand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States
Total fatalities25
Total survivors0
First aircraft

N76GC, the aircraft involved in the collision, seen in August 1983
TypeDHC-6 Twin Otter
OperatorGrand Canyon Airlines
Call signCANYON 6
RegistrationN76GC
Flight originGrand Canyon National Park Airport, United States
DestinationGrand Canyon National Park Airport, United States
Occupants20
Passengers18
Crew2
Fatalities20
Survivors0
Second aircraft

A Bell 206 similar to the helicopter involved in the collision
TypeBell 206
OperatorHelitech
Call signTECH 2
RegistrationN6TC
Flight originTusayan, Arizona, United States
DestinationTusayan, Arizona, United States
Occupants5
Passengers4
Crew1
Fatalities5
Survivors0

The Grand Canyon mid-air collision occurred when Grand Canyon Airlines Flight 6, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, collided with a Bell 206 helicopter, Helitech Flight 2, over Grand Canyon National Park on June 18, 1986. All 25 passengers and crew on board the two aircraft were killed. It remained the deadliest accident involving a helicopter on United States soil for nearly 40 years, surpassing the crash of Los Angeles Airways Flight 841 in 1968, until being surpassed itself by the Potomac River mid-air collision in 2025.