- Date
- May 30, 1989, 17:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Niagara Falls, NY
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9238FHughes 369HS
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890530031059A
- Case key
- 36443
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
Failure of the pilot to see and avoid the cables.
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
During a sightseeing flight over the park area of Niagara Falls, the helicopter flew into cables that were used to transport cable cars across the gorge for a skyview of the whirpool. After the helicopter struck the cables, it jerked about. The pilot maneuvered the helicopter onto a golf course and the passengers jumped clear of the craft unhurt. The pilot then landed the helicopter and shut off the electrical system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9238F
- Reported as
- Hughes 369HS
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2507135
- Airframe hours
- 2,900
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20, 278 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Rainbow Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 15, 1989 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- Goat Island, NY
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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 1,000 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.