- Date
- August 3, 1983, 19:40 local (Aug 4, 1983, 01:40 UTC)
- Place
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N6484VHelio Courier H-295
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830803064559A
- Case key
- 16131
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
Before starting his takeoff, the plt waited for other acft in the pattern to make touch-and-go landings. Immediately before & during his attempted takeoff, the plt saw 2 national guard helicopters hovering over a sod area, west of rwy 34. Reportedly, the 1st part of the takeoff was normal. At aprx 30 to 40 mph, the left wing raised & the acft began to weathervane to the left. The plt said that he turned the control wheel to the left & applied right brake but the acft ground looped & the right gear collapsed. According to the helicopter crews, they were well away from the rwy. One estimated, the closest helicopter was about 365 ft west of the rwy. An investigation revealed that thewind velocity had increase at about the time the accident occurred. An FAA aviation safety inspector reported that a dust devil hit the left wing of the acft during the takeoff. The plt believed that the rotor downwash from the helicopters had been encountered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6484V
- Reported as
- Helio Courier H-295 (COURIER H-)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1439
- Airframe hours
- 1,579
- Engine
- Lycoming O-270, 295 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Intermountain Constr. Co, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 15, 1982 · 49 hours before
- Airport
- U42 · West Jordan, runway 34, 5,604 × 100 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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 356 total · 73 in this make and model · 217 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,600 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SLC, 11 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.