- Date
- December 29, 1984, 21:00 local (Dec 30, 1984, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Moundsville, WV
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9030BRobinson R22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 6588
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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.
Analysis
The helicopter crashed aprx 1/2 mi from the marshall county arpt while on a personal flt. Investigaton revealed that the plt, a doctor who specialized in emergency room procedures, commuted between hospitals located in three different cities. The plt had been on call or en route between the three hospitals for 48 out of the 49 hrs prior to the accident. After completion of a scheduled 12 hr shift at a west Virginia clinic, the plt had trouble starting the acft due to a problem he identified as a sticking bendix gear on the starter. During this time the plt said he was low on fuel & was going to marshall county for fuel. The plt had called the marshall county arpt by telephone to arrange for fuel before departing. Investigative reconstruction of the plt's activities, schedules & associated refueling activities prior to the time of the accident indicated that there was an estimated 2 gals of fuel on board the acft at takeoff.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9030B
- Reported as
- Robinson R22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0055
- Airframe hours
- 634
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William H. Longphre
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1984 · 38 hours before
- Departed
- HLG · Wheeling, WV
- Destination
- 74D · Moundsville, WV
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,384 total · 178 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 240° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PKB, 47 nm away