# Accident 19890122000979A: Robsin R22ALPHA, Santa Barbara, CA, January 22, 1989

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 22, 1989, 10:26 local time
- Place: Santa Barbara, CA
- Airport: Santa Barbara Municipal
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Unauth Low Level Opns
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.4502° N, 119.7999° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.4502&lon=-119.7999&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8529C, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8529C-2012-08-07) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R22 ALPHA (registry code 7640104, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r22-alpha) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBSIN R22ALPHA
- Reported engine: LYC O320B2C
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 273 total, 120 in this make and model, 12 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX89FA092](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX89FA092) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19890122000979A

## Narrative

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

STRUCK A POWERLINE AND CRASHED ON A COMMERCIAL SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT. LOW SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDS AND FOG IN AREA.

## 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 LAX89FA092](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX89FA092), Jan 22, 1989: Robinson R22A (N8529C), Santa Barbara, CA, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE ALTITUDE, PROPER AIRSPEED FOR THE REDUCED VISIBILITY, AND AN ADEQUATE VISUAL OUTLOOK TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH POWER TRANSMISSION CABLE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE…

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.