Bell 206B accident near Delhi, California, March 10, 1999
On March 10, 1999 at about 6:55 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N901CA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Delhi, California. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance while landing in proximity to high vegetation, which resulted in the inadvertent contact of the spray boom to the trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 10, 1999 · about 6:55 pm local time
- Place
- Delhi, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N901CA · registry record · serial 1535
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After spraying a field during an aerial application flight, the pilot returned to the helispot to reload. Approaching the helispot, he flew past 30-foot-tall almond trees and 10-foot-tall oleander bushes at a low altitude. Immediately thereafter the helicopter began yawing. The pilot stated that 'the tail rotor felt sluggish,' and control was lost. The pilot further reported that he believes the spray boom clipped the vegetation. The helicopter came to rest on its side. At the time of the accident, the local wind condition was described by both the pilot and a ground witness as being light and variable. The pilot did not assert that any mechanical malfunctions precipitated 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,768 hours in all; 914 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 47 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,357 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 11, 1999; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,410 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Delhi CA at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from MOD, 14 miles away
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.
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.