- Date
- September 23, 1987, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Marlow, OK
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N17315G&C Helicopters EL Tomcat MK5A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870923055909A
- Case key
- 22181
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
Pilot failed to see and avoid tree at end of swath run during a spraying operation. After contacting the tree, the helicopter started to spin and struck the ground in an approximate 90 degree right bank and started to burn.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N17315
- Reported as
- G&C Helicopters EL Tomcat MK5A (EL TOMCAT)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- W-3
- Airframe hours
- 2,460
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1E, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- G & C Helicopters,Inc.
- Registered owner
- G And C Helicopter, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 23, 1987 · 60 hours before
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 670 total · 20 in this make and model · 520 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FSI, 12 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.