Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Burbank Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Los Angeles, California 90068
Saturday, January 14, 1995 19:45 PST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PILOT REQUESTED AND RECEIVED A SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE OUT OF THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AND PROCEEDED SOUTHBOUND FROM THE BURBANK AIRPORT. THE AIRPORT PREVAILING WEATHER WAS 300 FT BROKEN; VISIBILITY 2-1/2 MI WITH FOG AND LIGHT RAIN. THE HELICOPTER CONTINUED SOUTHBOUND UNTIL IT COLLIDED WITH HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION WIRES ABOUT 150 FT AGL. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT THE HELICOPTER DID NOT CLIMB MORE THAN 300 FT ABOVE THE GROUND AFTER DEPARTURE. GROUND WITNESSES REPORTED THAT DUE THE PREVAILING RAIN SHOWERS, CLOUD OBSCURATION, AND A 1/4-MI VISIBILITY, THE HELICOPTER WAS BARELY DISTINGUISHABLE. THE HELICOPTER BECAME ENTANGLED WITH THE SECOND SET OF WIRES UNTIL THE MAIN ROTOR ASSEMBLY SEPARATED AND THEN IT PLUNGED TO THE GROUND. THE PILOT DID NOT OBTAIN A WEATHER BRIEFING FROM THE FSS, NOR FILE A FLIGHT PLAN. HE DID RECEIVE THE CURRENT ATIS BEFORE DEPARTING.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S AND OPERATOR'S FAILURE TO FOLLOW THEIR ESTABLISHED DISPATCH PROCEDURES, THE PILOT'S POOR JUDGMENT IN INITIATING THE FLIGHT, AND THE EXISTING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 1/14/1995 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1945 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Standard Time |
| Event City | LOS ANGELES |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 90068 |
| Event Date Year | 1995 |
| Event Date Month | 1 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | BURBANK AIRPORT |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | BUR |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 7 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 180 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Witness |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 100 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Partial Obscuration |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0.25 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Moderate |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 2 |
| Injury Total All | 4 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 801 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jan 14 1995 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2015 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 7 2000 3:59PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N2209P |
| NTSB Number | LAX95FA079 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BELL |
| Aircraft Model | 206B |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 206B |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 3520 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3200 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 5 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Oct 28 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 55 |
| Airframe Hours | 3255 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | FLEET UNLIMITED, INC |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 39 EAST WALNUT |
| Aircraft Owner City | PASADENA |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 91103 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | WOLFE AIR AVIATION LTD. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 3000 N. CLYBOURN AVE |
| Operator City | BURBANK |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 91505 |
| Operator Code | CEXA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Non-scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | BUR |
| Departure City | BURBANK |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1939 |
| Departure Time Zone | PST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | CA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |