Mcdonnell Douglas 600N accident near Laguna Beach, California, June 17, 1998
On June 17, 1998 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas 600N (helicopter), registered N185SD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Laguna Beach, California. It was a public-use 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 inadvertent entanglement of an external load, which interfered with the pilot's ability to control the aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 1998 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Laguna Beach, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas 600N
- Registration
- N185SD · registry record · serial RN022
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the flight was to test a portable water source, called the pumpkin, to determine if it was an acceptable means of providing water for bambi bucket operations. The pumpkin is a rubberized circular bag, which stands approximately 3 feet high and is approximately 7-8 feet in diameter. The pilot reported that he noted that the rotor downwash was blowing the top portion of the pumpkin (the portion above the water line) wide open. As the pilot raised the collective to depart, the rotor wash blew the top part of the pumpkin closed, which overlapped and snagged the rear portion of the left skid. The helicopter tilted back and the tail section struck the asphalt. The helicopter spun 180 degrees to the right just as the pilot was about to jettison the bucket. The helicopter impacted the ground on its rear left side. The pilot reported that he had not experienced any abnormal malfunction with the aircraft controls prior to the accident. He further stated that he was not in communication with any of the ground crewmembers at the time of the accident.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,681 hours in all; 161 in this make and model; 164 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 11,238 as pilot in command; 1,747 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 345 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 9, 1998; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,100 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C47M (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Orange County Sheriff Dept
The flight
- Departed from: SNA Costa Mesa CA at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:46 pm from KSN
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX98TA202.