- Date
- January 26, 1986, 05:25 local (13:25 UTC)
- Place
- La Habra, CA
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3177GBell 222UT
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860126001349A
- Case key
- 25059
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
On January 26, 1986 a bell 222UT collided with a 3/8 inch support cable. The pilot saw the lower of two of the three support cables about 75 feet AGL as he was transitioning to forward flight from a vertical max performance t/o. the pilot applied aft cyclic and increased collective to clear the cables. The pilot then saw the third cable as the acft struck it. The cable became entangled in the tail rotor and momentarily tethered the aircraft. The tailrotor and tail rotor gear box separated, thus freeing the aircraft. The pilot initiated the emergency landing by reducing both throttles to the engine idle stop to maintain directional control of the aircraft. The aircraft landed hard which collapsed the skids and severed the tailboom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3177G
- Reported as
- Bell 222UT
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 47502
- Airframe hours
- 1,286
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS101-750C1, 684 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Air Transport System, Inc., doing business as [Ems]
- Registered owner
- Textron Financial Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 17, 1986 · 16 hours before
- Destination
- Tustin, CA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,199 total · 60 in this make and model · 4,013 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N3177G · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.