# Accident 19810116000549A: Agusta A109A, Pittsburgh, PA, January 16, 1981

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 16, 1981, 08:00 local time
- Place: Pittsburgh, PA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.4406° N, 79.9959° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Pittsburgh, PA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.4406&lon=-79.9959&mi=10
- Aircraft: N86NR, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N86NR-1981-02-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Agusta A109A (registry code 0260112, https://openairdocs.org/model/agusta-a109a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AGUSTA A109A
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 11,708 total, 124 in this make and model, 78 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC81FA020](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC81FA020) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19810116000549A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LOST TAIL ROTOR CONTROL. SPUN INTO RIVER, ROLLED OVER, SANK. FOUND SEIZED TAIL ROTOR BEARINGS. FAILED TO CUT POWER.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC81FA020](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC81FA020), Jan 16, 1981: Agusta A109-A (N86NR), Pittsburgh, PA, destroyed

## Other reports on N86NR (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19780221006789A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19780221006789A), Feb 21, 1978: Agusta A109A (N86NR), Rector, PA, Substantial damage. Piece of crusted snow with soil struck t/r.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.