Bell 222U accident near Santa Maria, California, April 9, 2010
On April 9, 2010 at about 8:24 am local time, a Bell 222U (helicopter), registered N222UT, was substantially damaged in an accident during standing (engine(s) start-up) near Santa Maria, California (Santa Maria Public airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection to ensure that all tie-down straps were removed prior to flight. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper management of sleep opportunities during the preceding rest period, which likely contributed to the development of fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 9, 2010 · about 8:24 am local time
- Place
- Santa Maria, California · Santa Maria Public · map
- Type
- Accident
- 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
- N222UT · no longer on the register · serial 47559
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On April 5, the pilot reported for work at 0730 to begin a daytime work shift. He was off duty on April 6 and 7, and on the 7th he went to bed at midnight. In the morning, he awoke at 0800. According to the pilot, he was aware that on the 8th he was scheduled to work a nighttime shift, but he remained awake all day. He reported for work at 1930 to begin his nighttime shift. During his preflight inspection at the beginning of his shift, he noted that both the tail rotor and a main rotor blade were tied down. He stated that he went to sleep at 2300 after being awake for 15 hours. On April 9, after sleeping about 2 hours, he received a duty call about 0110 and was dispatched for the accident flight. During a walk-around inspection in the dark, he observed a flight nurse proceed to the opposite side of the helicopter. According to the pilot, he assumed that the flight nurse had untied the tail rotor tie-down strap. He only removed the main rotor blade's tie-down strap. The pilot's failure to ensure that the tail rotor blade's tie down was removed was an error of omission, indicative of fatigue impairment. During the engine start operation, the tail rotor's strap broke. This resulted in damage to a tail rotor blade and all of the pitch change links. The pilot was unaware of this event, and he flew to the designated hospital to pick up a patient. With the patient on board during the subsequent engine start operation, a flight nurse observed broken tie-down strap material wrapped around the tail rotor driveshaft. The pilot shut down the engine. With the assistance of the flight nurse, the pilot removed the tie-down material. He then flew the patient on the prescribed emergency medical services flight and landed uneventfully at the next hospital. Thereafter, the pilot reinspected the helicopter and observed that it was damaged. The company's director of maintenance inspected the helicopter and found it unairworthy. The damaged tail rotor blade and pitch change links were unserviceable and were discarded. The blade was observed to be scratched, and it had voids in its composite material structure. The pitch change links were bent and their bearings were seized, compromising the flight control system.
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
What happened, in order
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Miscellaneous/other during standing (engine(s) start-up) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Tail rotor › Tail rotor blade › Inadequate inspection
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Physical › Alertness/Fatigue › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,834 hours in all; 78 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 6,193 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 9, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,298 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 9, 2010; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,250 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Lycoming LTS-101-750C1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming LTS-101-750C1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: California Shock-Trauma Air Rescue
The flight
- Departed from: SMX Santa Maria CA at 8:24 am
- Destination: ICL8 Santa Maria CA
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 am from SMX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 3 |
Other NTSB records under N222UT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 WPR10LA200.