- Date
- September 28, 1990, 18:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cranesville, PA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9024TContinental Copters MK5A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 36495
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 pilot's inability to maintain control of the helicopter after the loss of a portion of the cyclic control assembly; this resulted in ground impact and post-impact fire.
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 stated that he had finished a spray swath and initiated a 'cylic climb' to clear trees at the end of the field. He reported hearing a noise 'as if something broke' just after the helicopter cleared the trees. The helicopter yawed right and pitched down. The pilot applied left rudder pedal and full aft cyclic in an attempt to recover, but the helicopter impacted the ground at the edge of the wooded area. Post-impact fire ensued. Investigators found no indication of pre-impact power loss or loss of tail section continuity. Examination of the flight controls to the main rotor system revealed that a nut and bolt were missing from one end of the fore and aft cyclic control rod.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9024T
- Reported as
- Continental Copters MK5A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- CCI-74-6
- Airframe hours
- 8,575
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1F, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Marvin L Scripter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 7, 1989 · 288 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
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 2,200 total · 1,900 in this make and model · 2,076 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F