Amateur-built SCORPION 133 accident near Corona, California, March 2, 1986
On March 2, 1986 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built SCORPION 133 (helicopter), registered UNREG, was destroyed in an accident near Corona, California (Corona airport). It was a personal 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
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 2, 1986 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Corona, California · Corona
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SCORPION 133 SCORPION 1
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial KIT #1557
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED HE WAS 'RUNNING UP THE ENGINE' AFTER MAKING SOME ADJUSTMENTS. THE HELICOPTER WAS TIED DOWN WHEN THE PLT LIFTED OFF TO A 5 TO 6 FT HOVER. THE HELICOPTER TIPPED TO THE RIGHT, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONTACTED THE TERRAIN AND THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER. THE PLT EXITED THE ACFT WHICH WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DESTROYED BY A FIRE ORIGINATING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 93 hours in all; 70 as pilot in command; 23 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway 133 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: L66 Corona CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; ovct
- 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 UNREG 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.