- Date
- January 3, 1993, 15:40 local (22:40 UTC)
- Place
- Ogden, UT
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1078VBell 206B3
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930103000039A
- Case key
- 42935
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 continuation of VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his decision to continue his landing attempts under the adverse weather conditions. Factors contributing to the accident were the low clouds, fog and mountainous terrain.
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 was transporting personnel within a remote mountain valley in support of the commercial filming of celebrity skiers. The skiers had been filmed as they skied down a ridge, and were being flown back to the top of the ridgeline. During the third go-around following three attempts to land on the ridgetop landing site, the helicopter disappeared into a cloud bank and impacted the ridge at the 8,500-FT level. Members of the party on the ground described the area as being 'totally socked in.' The basic weather shown in the environment/operations information section was the 1445 0BSERVATION at Ogden. Ogden is 15 sw of the accident site, at an elevation of 4,470 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1078V
- Reported as
- Bell 206B3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2923
- Airframe hours
- 4,873
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- South Coast Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Fred & Cheryl Hoese, DBA
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 22, 1992 · 50 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
- 59
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 8,925 total · 643 in this make and model · 7,793 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 36 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OGD, 15 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.
Other investigations on N1078V · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.