What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Near miss with a aircraft then collided with nail guard C447D helicopter. Rotors cut off J35 wing. No altitude sqaw (.4)a flight of two military helicopters was on a northerly heading while N8343D was on a converging northwesterly heading at the same altitude. There were no indications that the occupants of either aircraft saw each other prior to colliding in midair. The crew of the second helicopter saw the airplane approaching, but did not have time to radio a warning. After the collision, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent. The helicopter pilot made a precautionary, run-on landing, and made an emergency shutdown. The 5 feet 2 inch airplane pilot used a pillow, placed on the seat bottom to increase his seated height. The seat did not have a vertical adjustment. The sun was in the southwest quadrant, with scattered clouds and 20 miles visibility. The top and bottom rotating beacons, as well as landing lights of both helicopters were illuminated. The helicopter pilot was flight following, but had not received any conflicting traffic advisories. The airpla NE pilot was not communicating with ATC. The transponder in the airplane was squawking 1200 but the altitude was reported as erratic and unreliable. The inreliable altitue returns from the airplane disabled the automatic intruder program. The controller did not see the airplane as a primary target because he was busy handling other traffic.
As the FAA filed it
NEAR MISS WITH A AIRCRAFT THEN COLLIDED WITH NAIL GUARD C447D HELICOPTER. ROTORS CUT OFF J35 WING. NO ALTITUDE SQAW (.4)A FLIGHT OF TWO MILITARY HELICOPTERS WAS ON A NORTHERLY HEADING WHILE N8343D WAS ON A CONVERGING NORTHWESTERLY HEADING AT THE SAME ALTITUDE. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS THAT THE OCCUPANTS OF EITHER AIRCRAFT SAW EACH OTHER PRIOR TO COLLIDING IN MIDAIR. THE CREW OF THE SECOND HELICOPTER SAW THE AIRPLANE APPROACHING, BUT DID NOT HAVE TIME TO RADIO A WARNING. AFTER THE COLLISION, THE AIRPLANE ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT. THE HELICOPTER PILOT MADE A PRECAUTIONARY, RUN-ON LANDING, AND MADE AN EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN. THE 5 FEET 2 INCH AIRPLANE PILOT USED A PILLOW, PLACED ON THE SEAT BOTTOM TO INCREASE HIS SEATED HEIGHT. THE SEAT DID NOT HAVE A VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT. THE SUN WAS IN THE SOUTHWEST QUADRANT, WITH SCATTERED CLOUDS AND 20 MILES VISIBILITY. THE TOP AND BOTTOM ROTATING BEACONS, AS WELL AS LANDING LIGHTS OF BOTH HELICOPTERS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE HELICOPTER PILOT WAS FLIGHT FOLLOWING, BUT HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY CONFLICTING TRAFFIC ADVISORIES. THE AIRPLA NE PILOT WAS NOT COMMUNICATING WITH ATC. THE TRANSPONDER IN THE AIRPLANE WAS SQUAWKING 1200 BUT THE ALTITUDE WAS REPORTED AS ERRATIC AND UNRELIABLE. THE INRELIABLE ALTITUE RETURNS FROM THE AIRPLANE DISABLED THE AUTOMATIC INTRUDER PROGRAM. THE CONTROLLER DID NOT SEE THE AIRPLANE AS A PRIMARY TARGET BECAUSE HE WAS BUSY HANDLING OTHER TRAFFIC.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.