- Date
- March 5, 1984, 21:18 local (Mar 6, 1984, 02:18 UTC)
- Place
- Spartanburg, SC
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 6 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N15479Sikorsky S-76A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 6261
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The acft collided with trees during a landing at a company helipad. The weather was IMC with low ceilings and fog. The acft had been cleared for a VOR approach monitored by radar. The co-plt spotted the pad and called it out to the plt who started a steep descent. While completing the landing check the co-plt sensed a nose high attitude of the acft and looked out. It appeared the acft was moving backward and down. He yelled 'where are we going?!' The captain added power as the acft entered the trees. The nose and right gear collapsed but the acft remained upright. The rotor blades were ruined by tree contact.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15479
- Reported as
- Sikorsky S-76A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 760066
- Airframe hours
- 522
- Engine
- Detr. Diesel 250-C30S, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Milliken And Company
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 21, 1984 · 19 hours before
- Departed
- CUB · Columbia, SC
- Destination
- Spartanburg, SC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- Milliken Heliport
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 12,213 total · 293 in this make and model · 11,339 as pilot in command · 57 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GSP, 15 nm away