- Date
- July 27, 1990, 08:08 local (12:08 UTC)
- Place
- Constantine, MI
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1442ZContinental Copters MK 5A Tomcat
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900727030569A
- Case key
- 14494
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 see and avoid power lines in his area of operation.
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
During the first pass, west to east, the helicopter collided with power lines running NE to sw across the southeast corner of the field. It then continued approx. 180 ft and collided with another set of power lines. A witness indicated the pilot had made a survey pass of the field. Visibility was reported as 4 mi in haze.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1442Z
- Reported as
- Continental Copters MK 5A Tomcat (MK 5A TOMC)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- H176
- Airframe hours
- 2,712
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1FHC, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Davis Ag Air Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 14, 1989 · 88 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
- 41
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,864 total · 1,273 in this make and model · 1,714 as pilot in command · 122 in the last 90 days · 56 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AZO, 32 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.