Bell 206L-1 accident near Barrett Junct., California, August 31, 1988
On August 31, 1988 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter), registered N74WH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Barrett Junct., California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- August 31, 1988 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Barrett Junct., California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N74WH · registry record · serial 45379
- 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
WHILE DESCENDING INTO A CANYON, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK POWERLINES, WENT INTO AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE COULD NOT SEE THE POWERLINES AND THAT HIS VISIBILITY WAS RESTRICTED BY THE SUN. ALL FOUR PASSENGERS INDICATED THAT THEY DID NOT SEE THE POWERLINES PRIOR TO THE COLLISION.
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; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,343 hours in all; 650 in this make and model; 113 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days; 4,893 as pilot in command; 386 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,749 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 24, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 4,050 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C28B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEE Gillespie CA at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from SDM, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 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.