Bell 206A accident near San Diego, California, March 31, 1985
On March 31, 1985 at about 8:32 pm local time, a Bell 206A (helicopter), registered N1434W, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Diego, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt. 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 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
- March 31, 1985 · about 8:32 pm local time
- Place
- San Diego, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206A · all 206As on the register
- Registration
- N1434W · no longer on the register · serial 366
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FLT, THE ENG LOST POWER & THE PLT BEGAN AN AUTOROTATIVE LANDING IN A PARKING LOT. DURING THE APCH, HE MANEUVERED TO AVOID A 100 FT CRANE. AS THE HELICOPTER WAS APPROACHING THE INTENDED TOUCHDOWN POINT, A VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN INTO THE FLT PATH OF THE ACFT. TO AVOID THE VEHICLE, THE PLT INCREASED THE COLLECTIVE TO EXTEND THE GLIDE PATH. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER LOST ROTOR RPM BEFORE TOUCHDOWN & LANDED HARD. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT AN IMPROPER PART (AN OIL LINE) HAD BEEN SUBSTITUTED FOR THE 'COMPRESSOR TO FUEL CONTROL PRESSURE SENSING' LINE (PN 6848471). THE LINE HAD FRACTURED AT A B-NUT WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF POWER.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,400 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 1,050 as pilot in command; 400 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,955 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C18 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYF San Diego CA at 8:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 pm from SAN, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 | 2 |
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.