# Accident 19960820023389A: Bell 209, Palmdale, CA, August 20, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 20, 1996, 16:24 local time
- Place: Palmdale, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Hovering
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.5209° N, 118.0796° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.5209&lon=-118.0796&mi=10
- Aircraft: N777TZ, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N777TZ-1996-12-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell / Tsirah Helicopter 209 AH-1FT (registry code 1181904, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-tsirah-helicopter-209-ah-1ft) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 209
- Reported engine: LYC T53*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 11,000 total, 70 in this make and model, 70 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX96FA310](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX96FA310) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960820023389A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

DURING FILMING GROUND VEHICLE MAIN ROTORS STRUCK ROCK CROPPING. SETTLED NOSE HIGH. STRUCK A TRUCK LANDING.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX96FA310](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX96FA310), Aug 20, 1996: Bell/Tsirah 209AH-1FT (N777TZ), Palmdale, CA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the first pilot misjudged the distance from the rock outcropping. The pilot's ostentatious display was a factor in this accident.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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