- Date
- September 29, 1990, 10:17 local (15:17 UTC)
- Place
- Mobile, AL
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 9 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5779NHelio HST-550A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900929043379A
- Case key
- 8283
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
The pilot's intentional attempted takeoff with a known tailwind component. Factors relating to the accident were the tailwind, trees and utility lines on the departure end of the takeoff area.
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 airplane collided with trees and power lines during takeoff from a 2000 foot long open area with 10 parachutists aboard. The pilot said he experinenced an unsolicited rollback in engine power prior to the collision. Reportedly, some power was regained. However, not in time to avoid the collision. But, the jump club chairman reported that no change in the engine's operation was observed throughout the mishap. Witnesses at the takeoff area reported that the winds were 12 knots out of the northeast, which would have given the flight a quartering tailwind component for the takeoff. According to the flight manual, the maximum demonstrated crosswind is 12 knots. The examination of the airplane failed to indicate any system malfunction or failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5779N
- Reported as
- Helio HST-550A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 006
- Engine
- P&W PT 6A-34, 750 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Mullins, Howard M.
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 12,482 total · 410 in this make and model · 11,722 as pilot in command · 205 in the last 90 days · 63 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- BFM, 2 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.