Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 accident near Bountiful, Utah, December 19, 1985
On December 19, 1985 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 (helicopter), registered N184FH, was destroyed in an accident near Bountiful, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 19, 1985 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Bountiful, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 · all FH-1100s on the register
- Registration
- N184FH · no longer on the register · serial 184
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, HE AND THREE FRIENDS WERE EN ROUTE TO A LOCAL SKI RESORT, WHEN THE HELICOPTER ENCOUNTERED DETERIORATING WX. THE PLT STATED HE ELECTED TO CROSS THE RIDGE AND FLY DOWN A RAVINE TO MAINTAIN VISUAL REFERENCE. THE PLT SAID HE WAS AWARE OF POWER LINES IN THE RAVINE. SO HE INCREASED ALT. UPON GAINING ALT, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED IMC. THE PLT STATED THAT HE REGAINED VISUAL GROUND REFERNCE PRIOR TO GROUND CONTACT AND USED REMAINING PITCH TO REDUCE THE VERTICAL VELOCITY.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,102 hours in all; 185 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 7,806 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,602 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 15, 1985; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,530 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C18B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTF Bountiful UT at 4:30 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 165° at 6 knots
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from SLC, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
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.