Skip to content

LAX90LA335

1990-09-06 · BEATTY, Nevada, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S SELECTION OF UNSUITABLE TERRAIN ON WHICH TO LAND. LOOSE SHALE ROCK AND SLOPING DOWNHILL TERRAIN WERE FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT AND HIS TWO PASSENGERS LANDED ON A SHALE KNOLL WHILE SURVEYING AN OFF THE ROAD MOTOR VEHICLE RACE COURSE. WHEN THE ENGINE AND ROTOR BLADES WERE REDUCED TO GROUND IDLE RPM THE HELICOPTER SLID OFF THE KNOLL AND ROLLED OVER. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1990_LAX90LA335.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.