Bell UH-1B N64789
14 August 1990 · Bieber, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 14 August 1990 at about 00:58 local time, a Bell UH-1B registered N64789, operated by Intermountain Air Services, was involved in an accident near Bieber, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 00:58
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Bieber, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 41.0602, -121.1096
- Aircraft
- Bell UH-1B
- Registration
- N64789
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Intermountain Air Services
- Operating rule
- Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
- Purpose of flight
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90DXQ04
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL WHEN INTENTIONALLY SLOWING HIS AIRCRAFT TO OFF LOAD WATER ON FIRE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ARM AND RELEASE THE EXTERNAL LOAD.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT WAS FLYING A FIRE FIGHTING MISSION AND WAS APPROACHING SOUTHERLY ASCENDING TERRAIN FROM THE EAST. THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED THE TERRAIN AND SLOWED TO MAKE A WATER DROP. AS IT SLOWED THE TAIL TURNED TO THE LEFT AND THE HELICOPTER LOST ALTITUDE AND SETTLED INTO THE TREES. THE PILOT HEARD THE LOW RPM AUDIO AND SAW THE LOW RPM WARNING LIGHT. HE ATTEMPTED TO RELEASE THE WATER LOAD. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE AND ENGINE COMPONENTS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. THE TEMPERATURE REPORTEDLY WAS BETWEEN 82 TO 86 DEGREES F WITH THE WIND FROM THE NORTH AT 5 TO 8 KNOTS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell UH-1B accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 May 1990 | Bell UH-1B | Ulysses, Kansas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Jun 1990 | Bell UH-1B | Yakima, Washington, United States | Usda Forest Service | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jan 1990 | Bell UH-1B | San Diego, Texas, United States | Coastal Corporation | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Mar 1991 | Bell UH-1B | Vero Beach, Florida, United States | Colony Services, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 May 1989 | Bell UH-1B | Oldtown, Maryland, United States | Precision Air Services, Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 29 Sep 1989 | Bell UH-1B | Plains, Georgia, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |