- Date
- July 7, 1989, 12:40 local (16:40 UTC)
- Place
- Williamson, WV
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N51516Hughes 500D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890707020959A
- Case key
- 11516
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
Pilot's failure to see and avoid the wire which crossed the end of the field in which he was taking off.
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 plt reported that as the helicopter lifted off from an open filed, a severe vibration was experienced and the helicopter descended to terrain impact. Post accident inspection revealed that the rotor blades had contacted an unmarked wire which crossed near the edge of the field. A portion of one rotor blade separated from the helicopter and traveled aprx 75 yards prior to contacting a parked car. The plt reported that there were no failures/malfunctions of the helicopter and that sun glare was not a factor in the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51516
- Reported as
- Hughes 500D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 610988D
- Airframe hours
- 2,152
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Appalachian Tire Company
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 30, 1989 · 52 hours before
- Destination
- Pikesville, KY
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
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,700 total · 1,100 in this make and model · 6,500 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.