# Accident 20101231055651A: Cessna 172H, Weyers Cave, VA, December 31, 2010

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 31, 2010, 14:26 local time
- Place: Weyers Cave, VA
- Airport: Shenandoah Valley Regional
- Damage: Destroyed
- Collision: Midair collision
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.2722° N, 78.8900° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.2722&lon=-78.8900&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2876L, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2876L-2012-09-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172H (registry code 2072424, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172h) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-300 series (registry code 17022, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172H
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 2,300 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA11FA101](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA11FA101) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20101231055651A

## Narrative

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

ON DECEMBER 31, 2010, ABOUT 1426 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, AN EUROCOPTER EC-135-P2 HELICOPTER, N312PH, OPERATED BY PETROLEUM HELICOPTERS INCORPORATED AS AIRCARE 5, AND A CESSNA 172H, N2876L, COLLIDED IN MIDAIR APPROXIMATELY 1/2 MILE NORTHWEST OF THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY REGIONAL AIRPORT (SHD), WEYERS CAVE, VIRGINIA. THE CESSNA AIRPLANE DEPARTED CONTROLLED FLIGHT AFTER THE RIGHT WING SEPARATED AND THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT FORCES AT GROUND CONTACT. THE HELICOPTER SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE AND LANDED SAFELY AT SHD. THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT AND PASSENGER ON BOARD THE AIRPLANE WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT AND TWO MEDICAL FLIGHT CREWMEMBERS ON BOARD THE HELICOPTER WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE AIRPLANE'S LOCAL PERSONAL FLIGHT THAT ORIGINATED FROM SHD, AT 1402, AND FOR THE HELICOPTERS POSITIONING FLIGHT THAT ORIGINATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA MEDICAL CENTER (8VA5), CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA, ABOUT 1410. A COMPANY FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE HELICOPTER POSITIONING FLIGHT, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE AIRPLANE FLIGHT, WHICH WERE BOTH CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91.

## 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 ERA11FA101](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA11FA101), Dec 31, 2010: Cessna 172H (N2876L), Weyers Cave, VA, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The inherent limitations of the see-and-avoid concept, which made it difficult for the helicopter pilot to see the airplane before the collision. Contributing to the accident was the airplane pilot’s…

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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