- Date
- September 15, 1989, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Louisville, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4556DSikorsky H-34J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890915035159A
- Case key
- 8066
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
An undetermined malfunction of the main rotor drive system.
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 pilot reported that during a logging operation, a jerking motion was noted while the helicopter was hovering at 200 feet. The motion occurred several times over a short period of time. The pilot ejected the long line and attempted an emergency landing, but the helicopter impacted in a swampy area and burned. It was not recovered, but the engine was reported to have been operating properly throughout the emergency. The pilot suspected that the free wheeling unit had failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4556D
- Reported as
- Sikorsky H-34J
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 145668
- Airframe hours
- 3,000
- Engine
- Wright R-1820-84D, 1,525 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 133
- Operator
- Clifton D. Mcgowan, doing business as Liberty Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Clifton D Mcgowan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 125 in this make and model · 2,900 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N4556D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.