- Date
- March 26, 1989, 21:05 local (Mar 27, 1989, 02:05 UTC)
- Place
- Coinjock, NC
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N39187MBB BK-117-A-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890326064979A
- Case key
- 7885
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the cellular company to properly install an operational lighting system on a newly constructed transmission tower. Darkness and the company's failure to notify flight service of the unlighted tower were related factors.
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 flt was returning to homebase along a normally traveled route, when the helicopter collided with a newly constructed antenna for a cellular phone opn. This tower had been completed on the same day as the acdnt. According to the field supervisor, the last 100 ft section of the 240 ft tower was completed near sunset & there was not enough time to complete the electrical connection to the installed beacon. The supervisor failed to advise flight service of the tower height & that the beacon was not in opn. A wreckage exam indicated that the helicopter rotor system collided with the tower about 15 ft from the top. According to another plt at the county's flt opn, most flts were flown between 100 & 500 ft AGL.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39187
- Reported as
- MBB BK-117-A-3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 7010
- Airframe hours
- 1,090
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS-101-650, 650 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dare County
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 11, 1989 · 226 hours before
- Departed
- NGH · Norfolk, VA
- Destination
- Manteo, NC
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 8,134 total · 658 in this make and model · 19 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Observed at
- 106H
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.