- Date
- December 10, 1983, 08:12 local (15:12 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N3177GBell 222U
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831210060429A
- Case key
- 21228
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 was parked on the ramp, facing east. When the plt called the tower for clearance, he requested a west departure. The plt received a clearance & was advised of traffic on the west ramp (behind the helicopter) & was instructed not to overfly the traffic. The plt lifted off to a hover & made a 90 deg turn to see the referenced traffic. During the turn, his tail rotor struck the right wing of a Cessna R182, N122MW. After the strike, the tail rotor gear box separated & the acft spun about 720 deg before the plt cut the throttles & executed a hovering autorotation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3177G
- Reported as
- Bell 222U
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 47502
- Airframe hours
- 86
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS-101-750, 1,368 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Bell Helicopter Textron
- Registered owner
- Textron Financial Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 2, 1983 · 86 hours before
- Destination
- PHX · Phoenix, AZ
- Airport
- ABQ · Albuquerque
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 7,000 total · 1,285 in this make and model · 40 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ABQ
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 N3177G · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.