- Date
- May 14, 1992, 09:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Middleboro, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N9012TContinental Copters MK6B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920514014899A
- Case key
- 11787
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 failure to release a tie down strap from the helicopter's skid during the preflight.
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 and operator did a walk around preflight of the helicopter while it was secured to a flatbed trailer. The pilot released the left tie down strap on the left skid, boarded, and started the helicopter. The pilot attempted to hover-taxi off the flatbed trailer. The helicopter rolled over on its right side and crashed into the ground beside the trailer. The helicopter's blades contacted the ground and a vehicle which was parked 30-50 feet away. After exiting the helicopter, the pilot noted the right rear skid tie down was still locked over the skid and attached to the trailer.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9012T
- Reported as
- Continental Copters MK6B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- CCI 74-4
- Airframe hours
- 3,229
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1F, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 137
- Operator
- Firefly Leasing Inc.
- Registered owner
- Firefly Leasing Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 7, 1991 · 92 hours before
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
- 25
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,100 total · 300 in this make and model · 800 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.