- Date
- December 1, 1986, 15:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Calipatria, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2770NBell UH-1B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861201063979A
- Case key
- 25316
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
During the initial climb at the beginning of an aerial application flight, the pilot made a climbing 180 degree right turn in the reverse direction when the rotor RPM began to drop. The pilot continued to raise collective, lost directional control and collided with the terrain approximately 100 yards from the initial lift-off point. The reason for the power loss was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2770N
- Reported as
- Bell UH-1B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 63-8509
- Airframe hours
- 3,849
- Engine
- Lycoming T-53-11B, 1,150 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Farm Air Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 5, 1986 · 46 hours before
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 13,540 total · 230 in this make and model · 13,540 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.