RotorAlert
Incidents→🇦🇶 Antarctica→1955-01-22
Incident report

Bell HTL-5 crash near Kainan Bay, near Little America, Antarctica

fatal1955-01-221 fatality
Summary

The helicopter struck an ice shelf in white-out conditions during a US Navy expedition, operating from USS Atka. The pilot died of his injuries.

Incident details
Date
1955-01-22
Location
Kainan Bay, near Little America, Antarctica
Aircraft
Bell HTL-5
Operator type
military
Fatalities
1
Injuries
0
Occupants
1
Probable cause
Weather / IMC
Phase of flight
cruise
-78.1700, -162.0000
Quick stats
Severityfatal
Fatalities1
Injuries0
SourceYoungstown Vindicator
Other incidents in Antarctica
2024-03-04minor
Esperanza Base, Antarctica
Sikorsky SH-3H Sea King
2013-12-04serious
RV Araon, Antarctica
Kamov Ka-32A
2013-12-01serious
275km SW of David Plateau Skiway, Antarctica
Aerospatiale AS 350B2 Ecureuil
2011-12-17serious
near Neumayer III Station, Antarctica
MBB Bo 105CBS-4
Other Bell incidents
2026-09-06unknown
near Lake Wales, United States
Bell 47G-4A
2026-09-03serious
near Deer Valley, Phoenix, United States
Bell OH-58A Kiowa
2026-08-24unknown
Sanarate, Guatemala
Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III
2026-08-19fatal
Carlisle, United States
Bell 407GX — 1 fatalities
← Back to all incidents
See something wrong or have more info?
Help us improve this incident record with corrections, additional details, or sources.
Submit info
ShareX / TwitterFacebookWhatsAppLinkedIn
1955-01-22 — Bell HTL-5 — Kainan Bay, near Little America, Antarctica | RotorAlert