Bell 205 N386HQ
24 August 2020 · LaVerne, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 24 August 2020 at about 02:30 local time, a Bell 205 registered N386HQ was involved in an accident near LaVerne, California, United States. 6 people were on board and nobody was 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 02:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- LaVerne, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Brackett Field (POC)
- Coordinates
- 34.1908, -117.9219
- Aircraft
- Bell 205
- Registration
- N386HQ
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1970
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- La Verne → La Verne
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR20CA284
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s delayed decision to initiate a go-around while landing in an unimproved area which resulted in a collision with debris.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he was conducting cargo and crew shuttle operations in support of firefighting operations. During the approach to a remote landing site that throughout the day had been continuously provided with dust abatement, there was significant dust and small sage type vegetation debris in the air that was kicked up from the helicopter’s rotor wash. The pilot subsequently performed a go-around. During a post-flight inspection, substantial damage to the tail rotor was discovered.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 205 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Aug 2022 | Bell 205 | La Ronge, SK, Canada | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Sep 2022 | Bell 205A-1 | Cougar, Washington, United States | Kachina Aviation | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 2018 | Bell 205 | Hudson Bay, Canada | Transwest Air Limited Partnership, By I | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jan 2022 | Bell 205A-1 | El Cajon, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Nov 2024 | Bell 205 | Región del Maule, Chile | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Sep 2011 | Bell 205 | Tehachapi, California, United States | Kern County | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 May 2020 | Cessna 172 | Fresno, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Feb 2020 | Cessna 208 | Eureka, California, United States | Redding Aero Enterprises Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 2020 | Arrow-Falcon Exporters UH-1H | Coalinga, California, United States | Guardian Helicopters Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 4 Oct 2020 | Evolution REVO | Hawthorne, California, United States | Joe K Audette | Fatal | 1 |
| 10 Feb 2020 | Beechcraft 36 | Avalon, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Feb 2020 | Boeing 747 412 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Kalitta Air | No injuries | - |