# Accident 20230909010609A: Bell 212, Balch Camp, CA, September 9, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 9, 2023, 14:20 local time
- Place: Balch Camp, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
- Operator: CUCL
- Location: 36.9030° N, 119.1232° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Balch Camp, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.9030&lon=-119.1232&mi=10
- Aircraft: N873HL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N873HL-2024-01-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 212 (registry code 1181420, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-212) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6 series (registry code 52033, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pt6-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 212
- Reported engine: P&W PT6 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 4,700 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230909010609A

## Narrative

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

WHILE SLOWING THE AIRCRAFT TO DO FIREFIGHTING WATER DROP OPERATIONS, AT APPROXIMATELY 100 FT AGL, DUE TO UNKNOWN REASONS, THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED AND THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONTACTED THE SURROUNDING TREES, WHICH CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO RAPIDLY DESCENDED AND IMPACTED THE GROUND.  AT THIS TIME, CAUSE OF THIS ACCIDENT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. A DETAILED POST-ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT/ENGINE TEARDOWN INSPECTION WILL BE ARRANGED BY THE NTSB IIC AND THIS REPORT WILL BE UPDATED AS NECESSARY.

## NTSB investigation

None matched to this report by aircraft and date. Search the NTSB's own records: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search

## Other reports on N873HL (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20060904027729I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060904027729I), Sep 4, 2006: Bell 212 (N873HL), Happy Camp, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) After takeoff with an external load the pilot smelled what he believed at the time to be something burning. As the smell worsened, he then received a #2…

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.