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.

[3] The helicopter's main rotor struck the nose landing gear and tail of the Twin Otter.

[3] The Bell 206's main rotor was torn off and disintegrated and the Twin Otter's tail separated, causing both aircraft to crash.

[3] The National Transportation Safety Board found that the crews of the two aircraft failed to 'see and avoid' each other, but could not determine why this occurred due to the lack of recorded flight data (there being no requirement for such recording for the scenic flights that were being operated).

[3] The accident investigation also found that the limited number of scenic points of interest in the Grand Canyon concentrated flights over these points, increasing the risk of collision; and recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulate the separation of flight routes of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.