Aerospatiale AS355F accident near Cajon, California, April 17, 1988
On April 17, 1988 at about 8:09 pm local time, a Aerospatiale AS355F (helicopter), registered N5777P, was destroyed in an accident near Cajon, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 1988 · about 8:09 pm local time
- Place
- Cajon, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS355F · all AS355Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5777P · no longer on the register · serial 5022
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING INCLEMENT WX ON AN EMS FLIGHT WITH A NURSE AND PATIENT ONBOARD, THE HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES WHICH WERE SUSPENDED 36 FEET ABOVE A ROAD. CONTROL WAS LOST AND THE HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH A RETAINING WALL, CLIPPED THE TOPS OFF SEVERAL TREES AND PLUNGED INTO A 70-FOOT DEEP RAVINE. THE MAIN WRECKAGE CAME TO REST ABOUT 220 FEET FROM THE INITIAL POINT OF IMPACT. THE SOLE SURVIVOR WAS THE PATIENT; HE HAD BEEN STRAPPED ONTO A FULL BODY BOARD. DESPITE THE PILOT'S EXTENSIVE MILITARY & CIVILIAN FLIGHT EXPERIENCE & CONCERN FOR FLIGHT SAFETY, THE OVERRIDING LIFE-SAVING MISSION COUPLED WITH JOB PRESSURES CONTRIBUTED TO HIM DELAYING HIS DECISION TO TURN AROUND. ALSO CONTRIBUTING WAS THE DISPATCHER'S/MANAGEMENT'S FAILURE TO READILY PROVIDE THE PILOT WITH ALTERNATE DESTINATION INSTRUCTIONS UPON THE CLOSURE OF THE PRIMARY DESTINATION'S TRAUMA CENTER.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,100 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,764 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 7, 1988; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,070 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Orco Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Victorville CA at 7:40 pm
- Destination: Loma Linda CA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.