- Date
- December 19, 1985, 09:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Bountiful, UT
- Injuries
- 4 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N184FHFairchild Hiller FH-1100
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851219062889A
- Case key
- 16902
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
According to the plt, he and three friends were en route to a local ski resort, when the helicopter encountered deteriorating wx. The plt stated he elected to cross the ridge and fly down a ravine to maintain visual reference. The plt said he was aware of power lines in the ravine. So he increased alt. Upon gaining alt, the acft encountered IMC. The plt stated that he regained visual ground refernce prior to ground contact and used remaining pitch to reduce the vertical velocity.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N184FH
- Reported as
- Fairchild Hiller FH-1100
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 184
- Airframe hours
- 6,602
- Engine
- Allison 250-C18B, 274 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Knight Hawk
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 15, 1985 · 62 hours before
- Departed
- BTF · Bountiful, UT
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 40
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 8,102 total · 185 in this make and model · 7,806 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 165° at 6 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SLC, 15 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.