Bell 222UT incident near Cameron, Louisiana, August 7, 1988
On August 7, 1988, a Bell 222UT (helicopter), registered N3190K, suffered minor damage in an incident near Cameron, Louisiana (Private airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. 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
- August 7, 1988
- Place
- Cameron, Louisiana · Private · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 222UT · all 222UTs on the register
- Registration
- N3190K · no longer on the register · serial 47531
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT STATED THAT THE ACFT PITCHED 20 DEG NOSE DOWN WITHOUT WARNING WHILE IN CRUISE FLT AT 1,200' AND 120 KTS. FOLLOWING RECOVERY, THE ACFT REQUIRED ADDITIONAL RT PEDAL TO STAY IN TRIM AND IT FLEW ABOUT 10 DEG NOSED DOWN IN LVL FLT. FLT DIVERTED TO THE OPR'S BASE AND LANDED SUCCESSFULLY. EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE RT HORZ STAB HAD SEPARATED JUST OUTBOARD OF THE TAILBOOM. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE SEPARATION REVEALED MULTIPLE FATIGUE ORIGINS IN THE AREAS OF BOTH THE FORWARD AND AFT TOP SPAR CAP RIVET HOLES AND THAT THE CRACK IN THE AFT SPAR HAD BEEN PRESENT FOR SOME TIME. PREVIOUS FAILURES IN THIS AREA HAD BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO WORKING RIVETS CAUSING STRESS CONCENTRATIONS IN THE RIVET HOLES. PREVENTION OF THIS TYPE FAILURE IS EFFECTED BY REPLACING THE AFFECTED RIVETS IN A TIMELY MANNER. MAINTENANCE RECORDS REVEALED THAT THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER HAD BEEN REPAIRED ON 3 PRIOR OCCASIONS, BUT THERE WERE NO RECORDS OF REPAIRS ON THE RT STABILIZER.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,491 hours in all; 958 in this make and model; 93 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days; 7,774 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,712 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 3, 1988; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,250 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming LT5-101-750C1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Petroleum Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: EC East Cameron245 GM at 11:50 pm
- Destination: LCH Lake Charles LA
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.