20010109000809A

Accident · No damage

FAA accident report · Worldwide Aeros AEROS-40B · Oakland, CA · January 9, 2001

Date: January 9, 2001 · 13:30 local
Place: Oakland, CA
Airport: Metropolitan Oakland International
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N819AC
NTSB investigation: NTSBLAX01FA071
Fatal injuries: 0

N819ACRegistration cancelled Feb 16, 2017 · Worldwide Aeros AEROS-40BS/N A40B-17 · Built 1999 Airframe modelWorldwide Aeros AEROS-40B Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-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 student pilot exited the a/c as it bounced and skidded across the ramp. The a/c struck the left wing of an unoccupied P-3 a/c parked on the ramp. Upon exiting the a/c the pilots attempted to pull the ripcords attached on either side of the car (gondola) to no avail. The ground crew attempted to recover the a/c but could not reach the a/c before it drifted off. The a/c drifted approx. 4 miles northwest of the Oakland airport when it struck the mast of a docked sail boat causing the envelope of the a/c to land on top of a restaurent with the nose cone of the a/c landing on top of an additional docked sailboat. The pilot suffered minor injuries and the student pilot reportedly suffered serious injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital and later released . Substantial damage to the a/c.

As the FAA filed it

(-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 STUDENT PILOT EXITED THE A/C AS IT BOUNCED AND SKIDDED ACROSS THE RAMP. THE A/C STRUCK THE LEFT WING OF AN UNOCCUPIED P-3 A/C PARKED ON THE RAMP. UPON EXITING THE A/C THE PILOTS ATTEMPTED TO PULL THE RIPCORDS ATTACHED ON EITHER SIDE OF THE CAR (GONDOLA) TO NO AVAIL. THE GROUND CREW ATTEMPTED TO RECOVER THE A/C BUT COULD NOT REACH THE A/C BEFORE IT DRIFTED OFF. THE A/C DRIFTED APPROX. 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE OAKLAND AIRPORT WHEN IT STRUCK THE MAST OF A DOCKED SAIL BOAT CAUSING THE ENVELOPE OF THE A/C TO LAND ON TOP OF A RESTAURENT WITH THE NOSE CONE OF THE A/C LANDING ON TOP OF AN ADDITIONAL DOCKED SAILBOAT. THE PILOT SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES AND THE STUDENT PILOT REPORTEDLY SUFFERED SERIOUS INJURIES AND WAS TAKEN TO A NEARBY HOSPITAL AND LATER RELEASED . SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE A/C.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB LAX01FA071Accident · Minor injuriesField investigationFinal reportOakland, CAOne or both of the rear ballonet air relief valves remained in an open position for undetermined reasons, which caused an out-of-balance trim condition; also causal was the flight crew’s decision to the fly the airship with a known deficiency (the inoperative…Jan 9, 2001 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N819AC · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 20000628009179ALevel Off Touchdown · San Bernadino, CA(-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…Jun 28, 2000 · Reported as Aeros AEROS540B · 1 fatal