Bell 222UT accident near La Habra, California, January 26, 1986
On January 26, 1986 at about 1:25 pm local time, a Bell 222UT (helicopter), registered N3177G, was substantially damaged in an accident near La Habra, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries; 4 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
- January 26, 1986 · about 1:25 pm local time
- Place
- La Habra, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 222UT · all 222UTs on the register
- Registration
- N3177G · no longer on the register · serial 47502
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON JANUARY 26, 1986 A BELL 222UT COLLIDED WITH A 3/8 INCH SUPPORT CABLE. THE PILOT SAW THE LOWER OF TWO OF THE THREE SUPPORT CABLES ABOUT 75 FEET AGL AS HE WAS TRANSITIONING TO FORWARD FLIGHT FROM A VERTICAL MAX PERFORMANCE T/O. THE PILOT APPLIED AFT CYCLIC AND INCREASED COLLECTIVE TO CLEAR THE CABLES. THE PILOT THEN SAW THE THIRD CABLE AS THE ACFT STRUCK IT. THE CABLE BECAME ENTANGLED IN THE TAIL ROTOR AND MOMENTARILY TETHERED THE AIRCRAFT. THE TAILROTOR AND TAIL ROTOR GEAR BOX SEPARATED, THUS FREEING THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT INITIATED THE EMERGENCY LANDING BY REDUCING BOTH THROTTLES TO THE ENGINE IDLE STOP TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD WHICH COLLAPSED THE SKIDS AND SEVERED THE TAILBOOM.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,199 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 4,013 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,286 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 17, 1986; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,250 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming LTS101-750C1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Transport System, INC.
The flight
- Destination: Tustin CA
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 4 |
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 N3177G 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.