# Accident 20220216001269A: Bell UH-1H, Coalinga, CA, February 16, 2022

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 16, 2022, 03:44 local time
- Place: Coalinga, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: WITG
- Location: 36.2926° N, 120.2452° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2926&lon=-120.2452&mi=10
- Aircraft: N72297, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N72297) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell UH-1H (registry code 1181407, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-uh-1h) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming T53-L-13 (registry code 41551, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-t53-l-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL UH-1H
- Reported engine: LYCOMING T53-L-13
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 32,800 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR22FA098](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR22FA098) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220216001269A

## Narrative

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

ON FEBRUARY 15, 2022, AT APPROXIMATELY 2130 HOURS PST, A BELL UH-1H HELICOPTER REGISTERED AS N72297 IMPACTED TERRAIN UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES SOUTH EAST OF A FIELD IT WAS ORIGINALLY DISPENSING PRODUCT IN.

THE PILOT HAD BEEN DISPENSING PRODUCT IN THE FIRST FIELD BUT DUE TO UNFAVORABLE WIND CONDITIONS HE DECIDED TO TRANSITION TO ANOTHER FIELD THAT WAS ON THE LIST FOR THE NIGHT. WHILE FLYING OVER THE SECOND FIELD, HE RADIOED HIS GROUND CREW AND CANCELED THE APPLICATION TO THAT FIELD AS WELL. HE DID NOT INDICATE TO THE GROUND CREW WHERE HE WAS GOING NEXT. THE GROUND CREW ASSUMED HE WOULD BE GOING TO THE THIRD FIELD ON THE LIST AND DROVE TO THE LOCATION TO WAIT FOR HIM. THE HELICOPTER NEVER ARRIVED AT THE NEXT FIELD. THE HELICOPTER WAS NOT LOCATED UNTIL APPROXIMATELY 0320 HOURS THE NEXT MORNING. THE PILOT (SOLE OCCUPANT) SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. THE HELICOPTER APPEARED TO HAVE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A LEVEL NOSE LOW ATTITUDE IN AN ORCHARD. THE HELICOPTER CAME TO REST ON ITS LEFT SIDE FACING APPROXIMATELY 180 DEGREES FROM ITS DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE. THE AIRCRAFT IS EQUIPPED WITH A CRASH RESISTANT FUEL TANK AND IT REMAINED INTACT.

## 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 WPR22FA098](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR22FA098), Feb 17, 2022: Bell UH-1H (N72297), Coalinga, CA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s loss of situational awareness for reasons that could not be determined given the available evidence, which led to controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the…

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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