Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Indian Dunes Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Valencia, California 91355
Friday, July 23, 1982 2:20 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
ACFT BEING USED TO FILM MOVIE SCENE DEPICTING ATTACK OF VILLAGE TYPICAL OF VILLGES IN VIET NAM. ACFT WAS ABOUT 25 FT AGL & ABOVE LOCATION WHERE SPECIAL EFFECTS EXPLOSIVES WERE DETONATED. AS THE PLT TURNED ACFT FOR CAMERA COVERAGE, ACFT'STAIL SECTION WAS ENGULFED IN FIREBALL CREATED BY SPECIAL EFFECTS EXPLOSION. T/R ASSEMBLY SEPARATED & ACFT DESCENDED OUT OF CONTROL. M/R BLADE STRUCK 3 ACTORS ON GROUND. THE BOARD DETERMINED THAT THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT WAS THE DETONATION OF A DEBRIS-LADEN SPECIAL EFFECTS EXPLOSION TOO NEAR THE ACFT. THE PROXIMITY OF THE ACFT TO THE EXPLOSIONS WAS DUE TO THE FAILURE TO ESTABLISH DIRECT COMMUNICATIONS & COORDINATION BETWEEN THE PILOT, WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF THE ACFT OPERATION, & THE FILM DIRECTOR, WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF THE FILMING OPERATION.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/23/1982 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 220 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | VALENCIA |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 91355 |
| Event Date Year | 1982 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | INDIAN DUNES |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | 4CA4 |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Unknown |
| 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 | Night/Bright |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Unknown |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 75 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 0 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 2 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 3 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | 6 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 9 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2915 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 18 2002 11:28AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\GIUV |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N87701 |
| NTSB Number | LAX82AA274 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BELL |
| Aircraft Model | UH-1B |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | UH-1B |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1162 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 8500 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | Unknown |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 8 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 89 |
| Airframe Hours | 5817 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ROCKY MOUNTAIN HELICOPTERS |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | |
| Aircraft Owner City | PROVO |
| Aircraft Owner State | UT |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | WESTERN HELICOPTERS, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 1670 MIRO WAY/P.O. BOX 579 |
| Operator City | RIALTO |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 92376 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | 4CA4 |
| Departure City | VALENCIA |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 218 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | 4CA4 |
| Destination City | VALENCIA |
| Destination State | CA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 18 2002 4:50PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |