- Date
- May 20, 1991, 09:45 local (13:45 UTC)
- Place
- Rock Hill, SC
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7507JSchweizer 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910520016589A
- Case key
- 8407
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 diverted his attention to a poisonous snake in the cockpit and failed to maintain control of the aircraft.
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 commercial pilot was flying an aerial observation flight. He turned on the cockpit heat. A copperhead snake emerged from the heat vent near his feet. As the pilot maneuvered towards a landing area, the snake appeared poised to strike. He tried to step on the snake with his foot and subsequently lost control of the helicopter. The helicopter contacted trees and terrain and was destroyed. The snake was not found after the accident. Drug, alcohol, and snake venom testing on the pilot was negative.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7507J
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- S1364
- Airframe hours
- 2,056
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Dooley Helicopters, Inc., doing business as Dme Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Dooley Helicopters, Inc.
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 14, 1991 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- 29J
- Destination
- GMU · Greenville, SC
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,700 total · 1,800 in this make and model · 5,660 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 600 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CLT, 13 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.