Bell UH-1E accident near Gustine, California, January 23, 2022
On January 23, 2022 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 1967 Bell UH-1E (helicopter), registered N333XL, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Gustine, California (Los Banos 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the 90° gearbox due to the lack of lubricating oil, which resulted in a loss of rotational drive to the tail rotor and a subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 23, 2022 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gustine, California · Los Banos · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell UH-1E, built 1967 · all UH-1Es on the register
- Registration
- N333XL · registry record · serial 154951
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting aerial spray applications of a chemical to a field. He had checked the oil quantity of the 90° gearbox during the preflight check but did not recall the quantity of oil at the time. The pilot had operated the helicopter for about 45 minutes and, while making a turn, lost control of the helicopter. The helicopter descended and impacted terrain. Maintenance records revealed no anomalies. Postaccident examination of the 90° gearbox revealed severe damage to the internal components and no evidence of lubricating oil inside the housing. The pinion was severely deformed, which resulted in the loss of rotational drive to the tail rotor assembly and the subsequent loss of control. Examination of the oil level sight glass revealed that the inside was covered with a material that did not allow for sufficient viewing of the oil level. It is likely that, when the pilot looked at the oil level sight glass during his preflight check, he interpreted what he saw as an adequate amount of oil.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Tail rotor drive system › Tail rotor gearbox › Malfunction
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 27,000 hours in all; 900 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 10, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,004 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 12, 2021
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming T53-L-11D (turboshaft); 2,970 hours total
- Operator: Marquis Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: LSN Los Banos CA at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KMCE, 24 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KMCE 231853Z AUTO 00000KT 5SM HZ CLR 12/06 A3029 RMK AO2 SLP259 T01220061 $=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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 WPR22LA084.