- Date
- September 26, 1991, 07:00 local (11:00 UTC)
- Place
- Franklin, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N62108Continental Copters MK5A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 9, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910926043169A
- Case key
- 8477
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 failure of the tail rotor control cable, which resulted in an uncontrolled collision with the ground.
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 had completed the first spraying of the morning and was hovering to the loading area when he experienced a loss of tail rotor control. The pilot maneuvered the helicopter away from the loading area and attempted a landing in an adjacent field. However, as the pilot maneuvered the helicopter, the main rotor blades struck the ground, and the helicopter crashed. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the left tail rotor control cable had failed near the pedal attach point. According to the pilot, the field cable was mailed to the NTSB for further examination; the cable never arrived. Failure mode was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62108
- Reported as
- Continental Copters MK5A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- TC-HFS-1
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1F, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Gulf Helicopter
- Registered owner
- Gulf Helicopter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 31, 1991
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 800 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ANB, 40 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.
Other investigations on N62108 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.