- Date
- June 13, 1992, 13:06 local (19:06 UTC)
- Place
- Sunland Park, NM
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N10436Hughes OH-6A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920613020059A
- Case key
- 18381
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to see and avoid the wires.
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 aircraft was being flown on a u. s. border patrol surveillance mission when it struck two static lines of a power transmission system. The 125 foot high lines were strung across a draw and supported by towers located on mountains on either side of the draw. The aircraft was equipped with a wire strike protection system and evidence indicated that one of the static lines was engaged and cut by the upper cutter. However, the evidence also indicated that the second static line struck three of the four blades of the main rotor system. The blades subsequently departed the hub and the main transmission separated from the airframe.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N10436
- Reported as
- Hughes OH-6A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 02731
- Airframe hours
- 11,684
- Engine
- Allison 250-C18, 278 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Operator
- U. S. Border Patrol
- Registered owner
- U. S. Border Patrol
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · June 10, 1992 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- ELP · El Paso, TX
- Destination
- ELP
- 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
- 49
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 12,146 total · 2,203 in this make and model · 12,146 as pilot in command · 88 in the last 90 days · 57 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 70 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ELP, 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.