Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Ribicon Camp Helipad Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Pollock Pines, California 95726
Saturday, July 26, 1997 10:45 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The 7,000-hour chief pilot reported that the area was clear when he approached the helipad, which was located on private property. After touchdown, he reduced the throttle to ground idle and told his passengers it was safe to exit. The pilot did not report that any ground (crowd control) personnel were present to assist his passengers, and no barriers existed around the helipad area. Within less than one minute after the landing, a waiting passenger approached the helicopter from the rear. The prospective passenger became distracted due to the blowing dust and walked into the rotating tail rotor blades. Years earlier, the FAA published information alerting operators of the lack of rotating rotor blade conspicuity. Also to enhance safety, the FAA suggested that ground support personnel be available to assist passengers, and that placement of physical barriers around operation areas be placed to separate prospective passengers from hazards. No evidence was found that the helicopter operator had ground support personnel present to assist the prospective passenger, or that it had placed restricting access devices around the helipad area.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
the passenger's failure to recognize and avoid the hazard associated with the rotating tail rotor. The operator/event organizer's lack of ground facilities or support personnel to assist/control passenger access to the helipad was a related factor.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/26/1997 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1045 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | POLLOCK PINES |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 95726 |
| Event Date Year | 1997 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | RIBICON CAMP HELIPAD |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 3000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 20 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 19 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 135 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 10 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 1 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 4 |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1491 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 26 1997 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1145 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 8 2000 12:25PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N123WF |
| NTSB Number | LAX97LA262 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | Company VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | None |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Bell |
| Aircraft Model | 206B |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 206B |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 3058 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3200 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 5 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jul 22 1997 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 12 |
| Airframe Hours | 6077 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | WESTWIND HELICOPTERS, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 757 |
| Aircraft Owner City | LINCOLN |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 95648 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | WESTWIND HELICOPTERS |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 11353 SUNRISE GOLD CIRCLE |
| Operator City | RANCHO CORDOVA |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 95742 |
| Operator Code | IAVA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | External Load |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Non-scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | LOON LAKE |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1035 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Standing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |