# Accident 19961001030669A: Ccoptr TOMCATMK5A, Lafayette, LA, October 1, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 1, 1996, 09:00 local time
- Place: Lafayette, LA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Location: 30.2241° N, 92.0198° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Lafayette, LA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.2241&lon=-92.0198&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7MH (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: CCOPTR TOMCATMK5A
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97LA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA001) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961001030669A

## Narrative

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

HELICOPTER SKID STRUCK A TRAILOR ON TAKEOFF AND PILOT LOST CONTROL. (-23) THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE HELICOPTER WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TAKE OFF FROM A PARKED TRAILER. THE PILOT ATTRIBUTED THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT TO HUMAN FACTORS; SUCH AS FATIGUE AND EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS USED DURING AERIAL APPLICATIONS.

## 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 FTW97LA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA001), Oct 1, 1996: Continental Copters EL Tomcat MK-5A (N7MH), Lafayette, LA, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to ensure a proper preflight and the groundcrew's failure to remove the tiedown. Factors were pilot and groundcrew fatigue.

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.

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