- Date
- July 5, 1991, 06:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Napa, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N18KJHughes 369D
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 10, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910705026199A
- Case key
- 27271
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 the proper altitude. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper in flight decision to fly in the below VFR weather conditions and his misjudged weather evaluation.
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 70-hour student helicopter pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate (airplanes). The pilot departed on a business flight between his home and his office. At the time of takeoff the pilot was aware there was a 500 foot ceiling and the visibility was one mile. After flying for five minutes the pilot encountered decreasing visibility (1/16 mile) and ground fog. The pilot reversed course and collided with the underlying terrain. The accident pilot's flight instructor had authorized the pilot to only fly the helicopter in VFR conditions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N18KJ
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 200649
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Nova Group, Inc
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- Petaluma, CA
- Destination
- Napa, 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,800 total · 70 in this make and model · 2,565 as pilot in command · 138 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.