Bell UH-1B accident near Biggs, California, June 12, 2007
On June 12, 2007 at about 3:05 pm local time, a Bell UH-1B (helicopter), registered N2087S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Biggs, California (Off Airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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
Loss of control during hover for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2007 · about 3:05 pm local time
- Place
- Biggs, California · Off Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell UH-1B · all UH-1Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2087S · registry record · serial 63-8512
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the helicopter lifted off from the top of a chemical truck the pilot heard a faint whining sound, which got louder and then abruptly stopped when the helicopter had cleared the truck. After the whining stopped, the helicopter flight controls locked up, but despite the restriction the pilot managed to pull a small amount of aft cyclic to help the helicopter settle to the ground. On touchdown the helicopter drifted to the right, then skidded across the ground before experiencing a dynamic rollover. The pilot reported that the hydraulic pump, which supplies hydraulic power to the flight control system servos, failed. A postaccident examination of the hydraulic pump, which sustained impact damage as result of the accident sequence, failed to reveal why the pump had failed. An FAA inspector reported that the hydraulic pump had been removed from a salvaged helicopter in 2000, and had not been used prior to being installed on the accident aircraft, about a month and a half before the accident. The inspector also reported that the pump's condition was unknown and that it was never tested prior to being installed on the helicopter.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 24,000 hours in all; 4,200 in this make and model; 500 in the last 90 days; 200 in the last 30 days; 23,950 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,105.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 2006; 156.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming T53-13B-22 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Biggs CA at 3:05 pm
- Destination: Biggs CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 am from MYV, 20 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.