# NTSB NYC94FA014: Mcdonnell Douglas 369E, N1605Z, Richfield, OH, October 19, 1993 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: October 19, 1993, 16:50 local (20:50 UTC) - Place: Richfield, OH - Coordinates: 41.230247, -81.630432 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.2302&lon=-81.6304&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal, 1 serious, 1 minor - Status: Completed, report December 2, 1994 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 38659 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC94FA014 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/38659/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC94FA014 ## Probable cause AN IN FLIGHT COLLISION WITH POWER LINES WHILE THE PILOT WAS MANEUVERING THE HELICOPTER AT A LOW ALTITUDE. A FACTOR IN THIS ACCIDENT WAS REDUCED VISIBILITY DUE TO FOGGY WEATHER CONDITIONS. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight encounter with weather, cruise - weather condition - fog (contributing factor) - In flight collision with object, maneuvering - turn to reverse direction - altitude - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - clearance - inadequate, pilot in command - object - wire,transmission (cause) ## Analysis SEVERAL WITNESSES DRIVING IN THEIR CARS OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER PRIOR TO IMPACT AND SAID THEY SAW THE HELICOPTER HEADING SOUTHBOUND AT A LOW ALTITUDE IN FOG, TURN TO A WESTERLY HEADING, REVERSE DIRECTION ABOUT 120 DEGREES, DESCEND AND STRIKE WIRES THAT WERE IN THE HELICOPTER'S FLIGHT PATH. A WITNESS WHO WAS A PILOT SAID, '...AS THE CRAFT DESCENDED I COULD SEE THAT THE OUTLINE OF THE FUSELAGE WAS BLURRED BY MISTY RAIN AT THE LOWER ALTITUDE (MARGINAL IFR AT THE MOMENT).' AFTER STRIKING THE WIRES THE TAIL ROTOR SEPARATED, THE HELICOPTER SPUN COUNTER CLOCKWISE UNTIL THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES IMPACTED THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER AND ENGINE REVEALED NO DISCREPANCIES. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 19, 1993, about 1650 eastern daylight time, a McDonnell Douglas 369E, helicopter, N1605Z, piloted by Mr. Ronald D. Ramsey, and operated by MPW Industrial Services Inc., collided with a wire while maneuvering near Richfield, Ohio. The helicopter was destroyed. There were three occupants on the helicopter at the time of the accident. The pilot was seriously injured, one passenger was fatally injured, and one passenger received minor injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR 91. Several witnesses driving in their cars observed the helicopter prior to impact and gave written statements to the Ohio State Police. Mr Earl Lloyd was driving south on [Interstate Highway] I-77, and said he saw the helicopter, "...heading southbound...about 250 feet to 300 feet above[his location]." Mr. William J. Roche wrote in his statement: I was driving down I-271 and noticed the helicopter very low...and was in heavy fog. The copter turned around pretty quick and lowered even more. The copter then hit a wire and started spinning like a top. The fall was straight down.... While traveling in his car, Mr. Jerry Smith saw the helicopter when he was exiting I-77 north, onto the ramp of I-271 north and wrote: ...I noticed a helicopter hit a power line in front of me. Part of the helicopter came off independent of the main unit. It went straight down to the right of the exit ramp on the grassy ravine.... Mr. Terry Dewald, a pilot and an ATF [Alcohol-Tobacco-Firearm] Special Agent, was travelling southbound on I-77, heard and visually saw the helicopter overhead, and to the left of his vehicle. Mr. Dewald wrote a statement for the State Police and was interviewed by the NTSB IIC, on October 20, 1993. According to Mr. Dewald, "The chopper was flying southbound at a very low altitude and began to proceed westbound." Mr. Dewald said the helicopter proceeded in a westerly direction, and flew about 100 feet over the power cables, that crossed the interstate north and south. The helicopter reversed direction of flight to the left, approximately 120 degrees. According to Mr. Dewald's written statement: ...[after the left turn the helicopter] began to follow the I-271 eastbound...I saw the craft began to wobble from side to side and it also made a sudden yet semi- controlled descent...as the craft descended I could see that the outline of the fuselage was blurred by misty rain at the lower altitude (marginal IFR at the moment)...[I] thought the chopper was trying to make an emergency landing next to the ramp. I could then see the copper contact an overhead electrical cable and I observed debris come loose from the craft which immediately began to auto-rotate [spin] counter- clockwise...until I lost sight of the craft over the ramp embankment...I observed the chopper had crashed on a steep embankment.... According to the pilot's statement on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, dated October 29, 1993, the flight departed the MPW, corporate branch office, helicopter pad about 2 miles south of Burke Lake Front Airport at approximately 1630. During the 5 to 6 hour wait on the ground the pilot said he monitored the weather from, "Lake Front's ATIS and NOAA weather radio." Approximately 1 hour prior to departure, the pilot said he telephone Cleveland Flight Service Station (FSS) for a full weather briefing. Mr. Ramsey wrote that he followed I-77 south, at an altitude of approximately 1800 feet, and at a speed of "125 knots." According to Mr. Ramsey's statement, "the visibility was very good (10+ miles) to the southwest." When reaching the intersection I-271 he turned to a westerly heading and the weather deteriorated. Mr. Ramsey wrote: ...after starting down I-271 I say that the weather ahead was getting lower, either through rain showers or lower ceiling. Because the weather ahead was not acceptable to me I decided to turn around and head back to I-77 to the better visibility...I remember beginning the turn to reverse my course. At this point I remember having some type of controllability problem, but I can not remember the exact details. I faintly remember rotation during the incident but I do not remember the impact. Mr. Walter Bridgeman, was riding in the right rear seat of the helicopter at the time of the accident, and wrote in his statement: The aircraft went to the left and then to the right. Then I heard Bill Clark [passenger in the front right seat] say to the pilot watch the wires. Then I heard the rotor hit the wire and then the aircraft went down. The accident occurred during the hours of daylight approximately 41 degrees, 13 minutes north, and 81 degrees, 37 minutes west. PERSONNEL INFORMATION Mr. Ronald D. Ramsey was born on October 20, 1937. He held Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, No. 1631261, with airplane multiengine and airplane single engine land, helicopter ratings, flight instructor, airplane single and multiengine land, helicopter, and instrument airplane. Mr. Ramsey was issued a Second Class Airman Medical Certificate on May 25, 1993, with limitations, must wear corrective lenses. Mr. Ramsey's records showing his flight hours revealed that at the time of the accident he had logged a total of 16,027 flight hours, and 4,130 flights hours in McDonnell Douglas helicopters. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The nearest weather reporting station to the accident site was located at the Akron-Canton Airport approximately 22 nautical miles, southeast of the crash site. The 1650 special weather observation was reported as; ceilings measured 300 broken, 2400 overcast; visibility 3/4 mile-fog; temperature 50 degrees F; dew point 50 degrees F; wind 060 degrees; 7 knots; altimeter 30.10 inches Hg. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The wreckage was examined at the accident site on October 19-20, 1993. The top wire of 4 wires located 79 feet above the ground was found broken. The wires were strung between 2 towers and ran north and south. The height of the north tower was 100 feet above the ground and the height of the south tower was 125 feet above the ground. According to the West-Akron-Pleasant Valley, Power Company, the diameter of the wire was .530 inches, consisting of ACSR aluminum conductor steel reinforced, with 12 strands of aluminum and 7 strands of steel. The tail rotor and tailboom were found separated. Ground scars in the grass were observed were the main rotor blades contacted the ground, at location approximately 176 feet east of were the broken wire was located. The helicopter came to rest down approximately a 40 degree grassy incline, 194 feet east of the broken wire, and approximately 58 feet south of the road surface. The helicopter came to rest on it's right side with nose heading in an easterly direction. Sections of the tail rotor were found approximately 100 feet north and west of the broken wire. The tailboom exhibited wire strike marks on the forward portion at flight station [FS] 44.65 and waterline [WL] 22.75. The lower front portion of the vertical stabilizer was crushed and the skin had separated when it made contact with the wire. The separated piece of skin displayed wire strike marks (See NTSB photo #1, and Allison photo #15). The horizontal stabilizer had remained attached to the vertical stabilizer, and displayed impact damage to the left leading edge. The tailboom had separated at FS 273. Examination of the cyclic control sticks revealed that they were both fractured at the base. Continuity of the cyclic system was observed from the fractures through the lateral idler bellcrank up to and including the ma ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1605Z](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1605Z-1994-05-03), registration cancelled 1994-05-03, S/N 0272E (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS 369E - Registry model: [Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E](https://openairdocs.org/model/mcdonnell-douglas-helicopter-369e) (registry code 3027369) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Helicopter - Serial number: 0272E - Airframe hours: 1056 - Engines: ALLISON 250-C20B 420 horsepower turbo shaft - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Business, Part 91 - Operator: Mpw Industrial Services Inc. - Registered owner: Mpw Industrial Services Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 16, 1993, 55 hours before - Departed: NONE, CLEVELAND, OH - Destination: NONE, HEBRON, OH ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 55; flight instructor, airline transport; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane, helicopter; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 16,027 total, 4,130 in this make and model, 15,134 as pilot in command, 214 in the last 90 days, 71 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Instrument (IMC), Day - Wind: 60° at 7 knots - Visibility: 0.75 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 2,400 ft overcast - Temperature: 50 °F, dew point 50 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: CAK, 22 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19931019039769A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19931019039769A), Oct 19, 1993: Hughes 369E, Richfield, OH, Destroyed, 1 fatal. Struck wires while scud running at low altitude. Impact sheared tail rotor spun to left. Impacted. Rolled over. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.