# Accident 20040726016599A: Bell 206B, Little Valley, CA, July 26, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 26, 2004, 15:05 local time
- Place: Little Valley, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: CAXA
- Location: 40.8367° N, 121.1006° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.8367&lon=-121.1006&mi=10
- Aircraft: N549W, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N549W-2006-12-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206B (registry code 1181511, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250 SER 400HP (registry code 03013, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-ser-400hp) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- Reported engine: ALLSN 250C20B
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,549 total, 740 in this make and model, 102 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX04LA281](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04LA281) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040726016599A

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH TREES AND TERRAIN WHILE CRUISING ABOUT 4.9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LITTLE VALLEY CA. GROUND BASED WITNESSES OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER FLYING BETWEEN 50 & 75 FEET AGL. THE TEMPERATURE WAS APPROXIMATELY 90 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. THE HELICOPTER WAS CRUISING IN A DOWNWIND DIRECTION, OVER THE 5100 MEAN SEA LEVEL UPSLOPING TERRAIN.

## 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 LAX04LA281](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04LA281), Jul 26, 2004: Bell 206B (N549W), Little Valley, CA, destroyed. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate clearance from objects and terrain while maneuvering at low altitude. Factors in the accident were the high, rising terrain, and the high density altitude.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.