- Date
- August 13, 1983, 10:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Toutle, WA
- Injuries
- 5 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N29917Fairchild Hiller FH-1100
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830813040689A
- Case key
- 39590
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 helicopter took off on a sight-seeing, passenger flt in the mount st helens area. When the flt became overdue, a search was initiated. Later, the helicopter was found where it crashed & burned in a heavily wooded area on relatively level terrain, near the north fork of the Toutle river, at an elevation of aprx 800 ft. there were no known witnesses. An exam of the crash site revealed that only the trees within 34 ft of the wreckage were damaged. There was extensive fire damage to the instrument panel, but the N1 RPM gage was found at 72%, the N2 RPM gage was at 43% & the rotor RPM gage was at 35%. A lack of rotational damage was noted on the main & tail rotor blades. The fuel control, fuel governor & fuel pump were destroyed by fire. Some rotational damage was noted in the eng. However, no preimpact, mechanical failure or malfunction was verified.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N29917
- Reported as
- Fairchild Hiller FH-1100
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 57
- Engine
- Allison 250-C18B, 274 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Terry A. Witham
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 8, 1983 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- Kid Valley, WA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,024 total · 391 in this make and model · 3,896 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TDO, 12 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.