- Date
- January 20, 1988, 17:10 local (23:10 UTC)
- Place
- Omaha, NE
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N26TMAerospatiale AS-350B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report February 6, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19880120000999A
- Case key
- 34484
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 picked the aircraft up to a hover and made a hovering turn in preparation for departure. The nose of the aircraft began to rise. The pilot stated later that he could not control the aircraft. The aircraft began to descend and the tail rotor struck a security fence around the heliport. The main rotor then struck a wind sock pole, a tree, light pole, and concrete bench during the accident sequence. The accomplishment of the manufacturer's service bulletin (sb) #67-05 had been partially completed. The sb provided for protection against ice in the hydraulic servo by installation of protective covers. The protective covers had been installed to protect the other two main rotor servos but not the servo which controlled fore and aft cyclic control. The Omaha area experienced freezing precipitation the night before the accident,the temperature had not risen above freezing during the day, and freezing precip was forecast. This was the first flight of the day for this acft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N26TM
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale AS-350B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1644
- Airframe hours
- 2,262
- Engine
- Turbomeca ARRIEL 1B, 680 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Rocky Mountain Helicopters Inc
- Registered owner
- James B Burr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · January 5, 1988 · 7 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,455 total · 419 in this make and model · 2,455 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 350° at 16 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 12 °F, dew point 7 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OMA, 10 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.