# Accident 19950118000539A: Agusta A109C, Myerstown, PA, January 18, 1995

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 18, 1995, 18:05 local time
- Place: Myerstown, PA
- Airport: Decks Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Final Approach-IFR
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.3406° N, 76.4199° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.3406&lon=-76.4199&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1WD, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1WD-1995-04-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Agusta A109C (registry code 0260118, https://openairdocs.org/model/agusta-a109c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AGUSTA A109C
- Reported engine: ALLSN 250C20R1
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Pilot flight hours: 11,000 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC95FA050](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC95FA050) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19950118000539A

## Narrative

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

CRASHED IN A FIELD WHILE ON AN APPROACH. (.4)DURING AN IFR FLIGHT, THE HELICOPTER PILOT WAS PROCEEDING TOWARD THE DESTINATION WITH USE OF HIS LORAN. HE WAS CLEARED FOR A VOR/DME ALPHA APPROACH TO AN AIRPORT 3 MILES WEST OF THE DESTINATION HELIPAD. (PRESUMABLY, HE PLANNED TO PROCEED VFR FROM THE AIRPORT TO THE HELIPAD.) THE APPROACH CONTROLLER OBSERVED (ON RADAR) WHAT APPEARED TO BE A NORMAL APPROACH UNTIL CONTACT WAS LOST AT 700 FEET MSL. A WITNESS MID-WAY BETWEEN THE AIRPORT AND THE HELIPAD OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER WEST BOUND AT ABOUT 150 FEET. A WITNESS NEAR THE AIRPORT REPORTED THE HELICOPTER CIRCLED HIS HOUSE; HE THEN LOST SIGHT OF THE HELICOPTER WHEN IT FLEW NORTHWEST AT 200 FEET INTO THE CLOUDS. ANOTHER WITNESS ABOUT A MILE NORTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT HEARD THE HELICOPTER FLY OVERHEAD IN THE CLOUDS. BOTH WITNESSES REPORTED THE HELICOPTER DESCENDED OUT OF THE CLOUDS IN A STEEP DESCENT AND IMPACTED THE TERRAIN. EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT BOTH ENGINES WERE OPERATING; NO PREIMPACT AIRFRAME FAILURE WAS NOTED. THE WEATHER AT NEARBY AIRPORTS WAS REPORTED AS 600 FEET OBSCURED WITH DRIZZLE AND FOG. WITNESSES ESTIMATED THE CEILING AT THE ACCIDENT SITE TO BE                                   200 TO 400 FEET.

## 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 NYC95FA050](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC95FA050), Jan 18, 1995: Agusta A109C (N1WD), Jackson Twp, PA, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AFTER BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND THE ADVERSE…

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.