# Accident 20000628009179A: Aeros AEROS540B, San Bernadino, CA, June 28, 2000 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: June 28, 2000, 08:05 local time - Place: San Bernadino, CA - Airport: Norton Afb - Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 36.1161° N, 119.6812° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.1161&lon=-119.6812&mi=10 - Aircraft: N819AC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N819AC-2017-02-16) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Worldwide Aeros AEROS-40B (registry code 9140300, https://openairdocs.org/model/worldwide-aeros-aeros-40b) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AEROS AEROS540B - Reported engine: CONT IO240B - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Pilot flight hours: 9,000 total, 149 in this make and model, 149 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX00LA242](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00LA242) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000628009179A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) DURING A LANDING CAPTURE OPERATION OF AN AIRSHIP, GROUND CREW MEMBER MR. DEAN NORSWORTHY COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER GROUND CREWMAN. NORSWORTHY WAS KNOCKED OFF-BALANCE AND FELL TO STRIKE HIS HEAD ON THE PAVEMENT. MR. NORSWORTHY SUBSEQUENTLY DIED OF HIS INJURIES AT LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY MED CENTER. MR DEAN NORSWORTHY DIED OF INJURIES ON JULY 11, 2000 AT 0821. (.4) ON JUNE 28, 2000, AT 0805 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A GROUND HANDLER FOR A WORLDWIDE AERO AEROS-40B TWIN ENGINE BLIMP, N819AC, WAS FATALLY INJURED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RECOVER THE AIRSHIP AT SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA. THE BLIMP, OPERATED BY AIRSHIP USA, INC., AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT UNDER 14 CFR PART 91, WAS NOT DAMAGED, NOR WERE THE PILOT, CO-PILOT, OR ANY OF THE REMAINING GROUND CREWMEMBERS INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS EXISTED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT. THE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT TO FAMILIARIZE THE CO-PILOT WITH THE AIRSHIP HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS HAD ORIGINATED FROM SAN BERNARDINO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ABOUT 0730 ON THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT, AND WAS TERMINATING WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. ACCORDING TO A WRITTEN STATEMENT PROVIDED BY THE PILOT, SHE WAS DEMONSTRAT ING A LIGHTER THAN NEUTRAL LANDING FOR HER STUDENT. THERE WERE TWO GROUND CREW ASSIGNED TO CATCH THE MOORING ROPE AND ASSIST WITH THE AIRSHIP LANDING. AS THE BLIMP NEARED THE LANDING AREA, ONE OF THE GROUND HANDLERS (LISTED AS NUMBER 1 FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS REPORT) CAUGHT THE NOSE LINE AND THE OTHER GROUND CREW (LISTED AS NUMBER 2 FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS REPORT) RAN TO ASSIST GROUND HANDLER NUMBER 1, WHO WAS RUNNING WITH THE NOSE ROPE TO SLOW THE AIRSHIP. GROUND HANDLER NUMBER 2 REALIZED THAT HE WAS ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH GROUND HANDLER NUMBER 1 AND "BEGAN RUNNING BACKWARD TO AVOID BEING HIT." GROUND HANDLER NUMBER 2 THEN STUMBLED, FELL AND HIT HIS HEAD ON THE CONCRETE APRON. GROUND HANDLER NUMBER 1 IMMEDIATELY LAUNCHED THE AIRSHIP BACK INTO THE AIR SO HE COULD ATTEND TO GROUND HANDLER NUMBER 2. A LOCAL AMBULANCE WAS CALLED AND THE GROUND HANDLER WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. ACCORDING TO THE SAN BERNARDINO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT/INCIDENT REPORT, GROUND HANDLER NUMBER 1 STATED THAT GROUND HANDLER NUMBER 2 RAN INTO HIM WHILE TRYING TO GRAB THE ROPE. THE COLLISION CAUSED GROUND HANDLER NUMBER 2 TO FALL AND HIT HIS HEAD. THE NTSB CONDUCTED A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW WITH GROUND HANDLER NUMBER 1 ON OCTOBER 3, 2002. DURING THE TELEPHONE CONVERSATION, HE STATED THAT GROUND HANDLER NUMBER 2 WAS RUNNING AND TRIPPED, WHICH CAUSED HIM TO FALL BACKWARD AND HIT HIS HEAD. ACCORDING TO FAMILY MEMBERS, THE GROUND HANDLER DIED AS A RESULT OF HIS INJURIES ON JULY 11, 2000. IN THE PILOT/OPERATOR AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT, UNDER THE SECTION TITLED "RECOMMENDATION (HOW COULD THIS ACCIDENT HAVE BEEN PREVENTED)," THE PILOT RECOMMENDED THAT THE GROUND CREW WEAR HELMETS. ## 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 LAX00LA242](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00LA242), Jun 28, 2000: Worldwide Aero AEROS-40B (N819AC), San Bernadino, CA, no damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The ground crew's diverted attention toward the landing airship while trying to catch a mooring rope, which resulted in their failure to detect an immenient collision with each other. ## Other reports on N819AC (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20010109000809A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010109000809A), Jan 9, 2001: N819AC, Oakland, CA, No damage. (-23)N819AC, aeros-40B blimp, encountered stability problems during approach and landing at the Oakland, CA. Int'l airport at approx. 1330 PST. The pilot and… 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.