Bell 222 UT accident near Casper, Wyoming, November 28, 2007
On November 28, 2007 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Bell 222 UT (helicopter), registered N222LF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Casper, Wyoming. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
High winds forcing the helicopter's main rotor blade to strike the helicopter vertical stabilizer and tail boom during engine start, causing substantial damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 2007 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Casper, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 222 UT · all 222 UTs on the register
- Registration
- N222LF · registry record · serial 47528
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A Bell 222 helicopter, N222LF, operated by C J Systems Aviation Group, was substantially damaged when during the engine start at the Casper Medical Center, Casper, Wyoming; a wind gust forced the main rotor blade into the left vertical stabilizer fin and tail boom. The positioning flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot on board was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of accident. The wind conditions At Natrona County Airport, 6 miles west of the hospital were reported as out of the west at 30 knots.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,141 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 91 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Lycoming LTS 101-750 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming LTS 101-750 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Casper WY at 3:20 pm
- Destination: CAP Casper WY
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N222LF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.