- Date
- December 2, 1992, 10:12 local (18:12 UTC)
- Place
- Fallbrook, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5035FHughes 369B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921202048699A
- Case key
- 27876
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
That the pilot misjudged the distance of the high tension wires from the helicopter.
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 pilot and nonflying crewmember were placing marker balls on high tension wires. The pilot misjudged the distance from the wires and a main rotor blade struck the upper guide wire of the high tension wires. The main rotor blade severed the tail boom assembly. The helicopter rotated after the impact and the tail boom assembly struck the high tension wires stanchion. The helicopter plummeted, uncontrolled, to the ground. The wreckage and video tape examination disclosed no evidence of any preexisting malfunctions or failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5035F
- Reported as
- Hughes 369B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 711013D
- Airframe hours
- 8,436
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 133
- Operator
- Haverfield Corporation
- Registered owner
- Haverfield Corporation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 25, 1992 · 25 hours before
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,764 total · 4,207 in this make and model · 5,560 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 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.