- Date
- January 10, 1985, 16:40 local (Jan 11, 1985, 00:40 UTC)
- Place
- Snelling, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N99021Bell 204
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850110001139A
- Case key
- 24630
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Plt vacated the acft with engine at idle & with the blades turning to refuel. The landing platform mounted on the 'nurse' truck was slippery from an oil & copper mixture used in the spraying operation. The helicopter started to slide & the plt reboarded just as it fell off the truck.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99021
- Reported as
- Bell 204
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 64-13949
- Airframe hours
- 36,829
- Engine
- Lycoming 653-11, 1,100 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Bettencourt Flying Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 2, 1984
- Departed
- Delhi, CA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Invalid Medical for flight
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 30,450 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 30,450 as pilot in command · 55 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 1 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MER, 18 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.