- Date
- May 19, 2002, 17:20 local (May 20, 2002, 00:20 UTC)
- Place
- Stockton, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N51716Enstrom F-28C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20020519013559A
- Case key
- 54736
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 maintain an adequate clearance from the water tower during takeoff. Also causal was the pilot's selection of a confined area for the landing and subsequent takeoff.
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
During the takeoff sequence, a gust of wind pushed the helicopter into a water tower near the refueling pad. The pilot had been drying trees in an orchard and landed in a parking lot to refuel. During takeoff from the parking lot, the main rotor blades struck the tank and the helicopter fell to the ground. It impacted in a flat attitude before rolling onto its side. Rain accumulation had reduced the pilot's visibility through the windshield. The pilot was not able to attain any visual cues on the wind velocity and directional information from inside the helicopter. High obstructions surrounded the takeoff area and were located within 15 feet of the rotor diameter.
Factual narrative
On May 19, 2002, about 1720 Pacific daylight time, an Enstrom F-28C, N51716, collided with a water tower during takeoff about 10 miles northeast of Stockton, California. The owner was operating the helicopter on a local flight under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries; the helicopter was substantially damaged. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot reported that he had been flying over an orchard to dry cherry trees. The winds were gusty and there were intermittent rain showers. He landed in a parking lot and refueled. The parking lot was surrounded by several high obstacles including power lines, lighting poles, and water tanks. All of these were within 15 feet of the rotor blades as the helicopter sat on the ground. Rain had accumulated on the windscreen, which reduced visibility. The pilot was unable to detect the current wind velocity at the location.
During the takeoff sequence, a gust of wind pushed the helicopter into a water tower near the refueling pad. The main rotor blades struck the tank and the helicopter fell to the ground. The pilot stated that the helicopter had impacted in a flat attitude before rolling over on its side. Water from the breached tank poured onto the airframe. There was no post crash fire.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51716
- Reported as
- Enstrom F-28C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 464
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-GIAD, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Terrill A. Abst
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PVT · Stockton, CA
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
- 52
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 1991
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,000 total · 535 in this make and model · 8,500 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.84 inHg
- Observed at
- SCK
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 12, 2003, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 437 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.