- Date
- March 1, 1992, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Salome, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N550HZHelio HST-550A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920301004799A
- Case key
- 27570
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 inadequate in-flight planning, improper altitude, and delaying the required remedial action to prevent the collision with the mountain. Contributing to the accident was the unfavorable wind and downdraft conditions.
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 transport pilot and a passenger were conducting a low level flight over mountainous terrain. The surface wind conditions were reported to be from the south at or above 20 knots. The pilot reported that he approached the mountain peak in a southerly direction and climbed the airplane to an altitude of 150 feet above the ground to clear the mountain. The airplane encountered downdraft conditions on the lee side of the mountain. The pilot failed to immediately correct for this condition and the airplane collided with the upsloping mountainous terrain when the pilot was executing a 180 degree turn.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N550HZ
- Reported as
- Helio HST-550A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 007
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-27, 680 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Maytag, David D. Jr.
- Registered owner
- Maytag, David D. Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 17, 1991
- Departed
- PRC · Prescott, AZ
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
- 25
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,725 total · 72 in this make and model · 1,564 as pilot in command · 81 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.