- Date
- December 22, 1984, 16:50 local (21:50 UTC)
- Place
- Ellington, CT
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N84958Robinson R-22-A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841222067629A
- Case key
- 35793
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 non-inst rated plt continued flt into IMC conditions in a helicopter which was not equipped for flt on instruments. There is no record or witnesses of the plt having received a formal wx briefing but it is reported that the plt was informed of fog moving toward and eventually 'socking in' the arpt. The plts reply to the last call of a 'socked in' condition was 'I have the arpt in sight'. Witnesses saw the acft heading away from the arpt after having heard it flying toward the arpt. The acft was seen to descend at a steep angle toward the ground just prior to impact. The sighting was short (aprox 3 seconds) and made more difficult by the reduced visibility due to fog and fading daylight (dusk). Investigation revealed no mechanical or physical reasons of a contributory nature.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N84958
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22-A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 407
- Airframe hours
- 505
- Engine
- Avco Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William A. Kolouch Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 19, 1984 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- 7B9 · Ellington, CT
- Airport
- 7B9 · Ellington, runway 3, 1,800 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 118 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 30° at 7 knots
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BDL, 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.