- Date
- October 25, 1991, 21:56 local (Oct 26, 1991, 04:56 UTC)
- Place
- Vallejo, CA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3456MBell 206B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911025048009A
- Case key
- 27489
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 intentional flight into known adverse weather, continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and improper altitude. Contributing to the accident was low ceilings, poor visibility, and restricted visual lookout.
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 certificated airline pilot and two passengers departed in a helicopter for the planned destination airport, located about 27 miles northwest of the departure point. The pilot received a weather briefing in which VFR flight was not recommended due to low ceilings and low visibility. The pilot was familiar with the geographic area. The pilot received a special VFR clearance through an airport traffic area, departing to the northwest. About 20 miles from the departure point, witnesses observed the helicopter paralleling a highway at about 200 feet above the ground. The weather was reported to be a 200 foot overcast ceiling, gusty winds, heavy rain, and visibility of about 1/2 mile. The witnesses observed the helicopter strike the top of a 223 foot high transmission tower and explode. The location of the transmission line was marked on the area sectional chart.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3456M
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1391
- Airframe hours
- 6,279
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Corporate Mobility, Inc
- Registered owner
- Corporate Mobility, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 5, 1991 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- Concord, CA
- Destination
- O56 · Novato, 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
- 42
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,541 total · 301 in this make and model · 4,306 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 270° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft overcast
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.