Bell 222U incident near Oxford, Mississippi, April 20, 1987
On April 20, 1987 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Bell 222U (helicopter), registered N222HX, suffered minor damage in an incident near Oxford, Mississippi. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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 incident. 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
- April 20, 1987 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Oxford, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 222U · all 222Us on the register
- Registration
- N222HX · no longer on the register · serial 47533
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT EXECUTED A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING AFTER HEARING A LOUD BANG AND EXPERIENCING A LOSS OF THE NUMBER 1 ENGINE. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE POWER TURBINE WHEEL BLADES HAD FAILED, AND THE WHEEL PARTS LOGJAMMED AND PENETRATED THE ENGINE CASE. THE BLADE FRACTURES WERE HIGH CYCLE TRANSGRANULAR FAILURES EMINATING FROM THE TRAILING EDGE OF EACH BLADE ROOT. A REVIEW OF FAA SDR RECORDS REVEALED 87 SIMILAR FAILURES. SIX EMERGENCY AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES WERE SUBSEQUENTLY ISSUED.
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; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all; 400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 842 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 23, 1987; 97 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,400 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming LTS-101-75001 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEM Memphis TN at 6:30 pm
- Destination: Oxford MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:19 pm from MEM, 60 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.