Bell 206B accident near Pollock Pines, California, July 26, 1997
On July 26, 1997 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N123WF, was involved in an accident near Pollock Pines, California (Ribicon Camp Helipad airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the passenger's failure to recognize and avoid the hazard associated with the rotating tail rotor. The operator/event organizer's lack of ground facilities or support personnel to assist/control passenger access to the helipad was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 1997 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Pollock Pines, California · Ribicon Camp Helipad · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N123WF · registry record · serial 3058
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 7,000-hour chief pilot reported that the area was clear when he approached the helipad, which was located on private property. After touchdown, he reduced the throttle to ground idle and told his passengers it was safe to exit. The pilot did not report that any ground (crowd control) personnel were present to assist his passengers, and no barriers existed around the helipad area. Within less than one minute after the landing, a waiting passenger approached the helicopter from the rear. The prospective passenger became distracted due to the blowing dust and walked into the rotating tail rotor blades. Years earlier, the FAA published information alerting operators of the lack of rotating rotor blade conspicuity. Also to enhance safety, the FAA suggested that ground support personnel be available to assist passengers, and that placement of physical barriers around operation areas be placed to separate prospective passengers from hazards. No evidence was found that the helicopter operator had ground support personnel present to assist the prospective passenger, or that it had placed restricting access devices around the helipad area.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 7,000 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,077 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 22, 1997; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Loon Lake CA at 5:35 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.