- Date
- January 15, 1983, 09:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sisseton, SD
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N9079BRobinson R22
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830115000879A
- Case key
- 15967
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 helicopter crashed in an open field shortly after takeoff in adverse weather. The pilot was not instrument rated andhad received weather briefings by telephone from a flight service station. The forecast was not favorable, but the pilotstated 'well I think I can get out from underneath it with a helicopter, no problem.' The pilot took off while several witnesses watched. One witness observed him wipe condensation off the inside of the plexiglass twice prior to departure. After takeoff,which the airport manager thought would be postponed for weather, the helicopter disappeared in the fog ata distance of about one half mile and altitude of 200 ft. the witnesses heard the aircraft noise change from northwest to northeast which puzzled them. No one heard the sounds of the acft impact. The wreckage was found about one and one- half miles northeast of the airport by a farmer, aprx two hours after departure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9079B
- Reported as
- Robinson R22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0294
- Airframe hours
- 295
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Wayne L. Twitero
- Registered owner
- Universtiy Of North Dakota
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 12, 1983 · 1 hours before
- Destination
- GFK · Grand Forks, ND
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 8D3 · Sisseton, runway 34, 2,900 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 20
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 117 total · 40 in this make and model · 34 as pilot in command · 57 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.