- Date
- October 21, 1992, 19:05 local (Oct 22, 1992, 00:05 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Forks, ND
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3625ZSchweizer H-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921021043129A
- Case key
- 15609
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 maintain control of the helicopter during a night landing.
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 stated he was on a local flight in dusk/bright night conditions. He reported he had the landing light, position and anti-collision lights on, and 'could see pretty good in a confined area that I had been in many times.' After some maneuvering, the pilot decided to land. He stated: 'I didn't think I had any lateral movement. I perceived my (altitude) to be approximately 3 feet, I must have been higher. I remember my left skid hitting the ground then sort of a tilt to the right. My right skid caught in some dirt to the right and the next thing I know the helicopter tipped over.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3625Z
- Reported as
- Schweizer H-300
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1194
- Airframe hours
- 2,794
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- University Of North Dakota
- Registered owner
- University Of North Dakota
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 11, 1992 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- GFK
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
- 21
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 114 total · 59 in this make and model · 50 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GFK, 5 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 N3625Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.