- Date
- July 6, 1986, 23:00 local (Jul 7, 1986, 03:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fall River, MA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4237DHughes 500A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860706030379A
- Case key
- 30378
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.
In flight encounter with weather
Weather condition - haze/smokeFactor
Weather condition - fogFactor
Light condition - dark nightFactor
Loss of control - in flight
Maneuver - uncontrolledCause
In flight collision with terrain/water
Terrain condition - water,glassy
Analysis
The flight encountered fog and haze during return flight to new bedford, Massachusetts. The pilot failed to maintain direction control of the helicopter and crashed into the north watuppa pond.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4237D
- Reported as
- Hughes 500A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1190215S
- Airframe hours
- 5,172
- Engine
- Allison 250-C18, 250 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Anthony M. Wquisanti
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 15, 1986 · 120 hours before
- Departed
- New Bedford, MA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 700 total · 700 in this make and model · 25 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EWB, 6 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.