- Date
- July 10, 1998, 19:10 local (Jul 11, 1998, 02:10 UTC)
- Place
- Sedona, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5050Cde Havilland DH-82A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980710016499A
- Case key
- 30144
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 failure of the pilot to maintain a visual clearance with the trees.
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 was filming a commercial and was making coordinated low passes with a car on the ground while attempting to drop a mailbag into the car for purposes of the commercial story line. On the last pass, the pilot impacted the top 2 1/2 feet of a tree while flying about 50 to 60 mph. He reported that the tree was off the aircraft nose and stated that he never saw it. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the aircraft prior to the accident, nor was there any visibility restriction.
Factual narrative
On July 10, 1998, at 1910 hours mountain standard time, a Dehavilland DH-82A, N5050C, impacted a tree while maneuvering in Red Rock Canyon near Sedona, Arizona. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated in Sedona at 1810. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that he was filming a car commercial for a production company and was making coordinated passes with a car on the ground and a helicopter was flying behind them with a camera. They had been flying approximately 1 hour. The pilot made several low passes while attempting to drop a mailbag into the car for purposes of the commercial story line. He reported that on the last pass, he had about 90 feet to go before he was supposed to pull up. He was between the helicopter and the car when he hit the top 2 1/2 feet of a cedar tree. The pilot said it was "dead center" off the aircraft nose and stated that he never saw it. He was flying about 50-60 mph when he impacted the tree. The filming was stopped about 6 seconds before the accident occurred.
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the aircraft prior to the accident, nor was there any visibility restriction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5050C
- Reported as
- de Havilland DH-82A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- NL875
- Engine
- de Havilland GIPSY MAJOR, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Elvis Baker
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Departed
- SEZ · Sedona, 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
- 46
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,170 total · 20 in this make and model · 3,076 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 13,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FLG, 20 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.