Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Myerstown/Decks Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Jackson Twp, Pennsylvania 17042
Wednesday, January 18, 1995 18:05 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
DURING AN IFR FLIGHT, THE HELICOPTER PILOT WAS PROCEEDING TOWARD THE DESTINATION WITH USE OF HIS LORAN. HE WAS CLEARED FOR A VOR/DME ALPHA APPROACH TO AN AIRPORT 3 MILES WEST OF THE DESTINATION HELIPAD. (PRESUMABLY, HE PLANNED TO PROCEED VFR FROM THE AIRPORT TO THE HELIPAD.) THE APPROACH CONTROLLER OBSERVED (ON RADAR) WHAT APPEARED TO BE A NORMAL APPROACH UNTIL CONTACT WAS LOST AT 700 FEET MSL. A WITNESS MID-WAY BETWEEN THE AIRPORT AND THE HELIPAD OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER WEST BOUND AT ABOUT 150 FEET. A WITNESS NEAR THE AIRPORT REPORTED THE HELICOPTER CIRCLED HIS HOUSE; HE THEN LOST SIGHT OF THE HELICOPTER WHEN IT FLEW NORTHWEST AT 200 FEET INTO THE CLOUDS. ANOTHER WITNESS ABOUT A MILE NORTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT HEARD THE HELICOPTER FLY OVERHEAD IN THE CLOUDS. BOTH WITNESSES REPORTED THE HELICOPTER DESCENDED OUT OF THE CLOUDS IN A STEEP DESCENT AND IMPACTED THE TERRAIN. EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT BOTH ENGINES WERE OPERATING; NO PREIMPACT AIRFRAME FAILURE WAS NOTED. THE WEATHER AT NEARBY AIRPORTS WAS REPORTED AS 600 FEET OBSCURED WITH DRIZZLE AND FOG. WITNESSES ESTIMATED THE CEILING AT THE ACCIDENT SITE TO BE 200 TO 400 FEET.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AFTER BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 1/18/1995 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1805 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | JACKSON TWP |
| Event State | PENNSYLVANIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 17042 |
| 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 | MYERSTOWN/DECKS |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | 9D4 |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 325 |
| Airport Elevation | 520 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Partial - limited by pilot |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1750 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 240 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | MDT |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 310 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 21 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 600 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Obscured |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 2 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 6 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 6 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 90 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 6 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| 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 | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 158 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jan 18 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1838 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 7 2000 4:00PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N1WD |
| NTSB Number | NYC95FA050 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | AGUSTA |
| Aircraft Model | A109C |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | A109C |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 7601 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 5997 |
| 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 | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Oct 16 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 73 |
| Airframe Hours | 1300 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | LEFFLER TRANSPORTATION COMPANY |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 278 |
| Aircraft Owner City | RICHLAND |
| Aircraft Owner State | PA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 17087 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| 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 | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Executive/Corporate |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | IPT |
| Departure City | WILLIAMSPORT |
| Departure State | PA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1727 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | PS96 |
| Destination City | RICHLAND |
| Destination State | PA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent - uncontrolled |
| 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 | -- |