Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Red Bluff Municipal Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Red Bluff, California 96021
Friday, February 3, 1995 20:07 PST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) AND DUAL STUDENT DEPARTED IN A HELICOPTER AT NIGHT ON A COMBINATION NIGHT INSTRUCTIONAL/VFR FERRY FLIGHT. THE PILOTS WERE FOLLOWING AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, WHEN THEY ENCOUNTERED AN AREA OF REDUCED VISIBILITY. THE CFI TOOK CONTROL OF THE HELICOPTER AND MADE A 180-DEGREE TURN. HE REPORTED THAT HE ENTERED A DESCENT TO IMPROVE VISUAL REFERENCE TO THE GROUND AND SLOWED THE HELICOPTER TO ABOUT 40 KNOTS. HOWEVER, THE HELICOPTER CONTACTED THE SURFACE OF A RICE PADDY, SLID IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE UNTIL IT ENCOUNTERED UNEVEN TERRAIN, THEN ROLLED OVER.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
the flight instructor's poor in-flight decision to continue flight into a reduced visibility area, his failure to execute a 180-degree turn in a timely manner, and his failure to maintain clearance from the terrain.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 2/3/1995 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 2007 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Standard Time |
| Event City | RED BLUFF |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 96021 |
| Event Date Year | 1995 |
| Event Date Month | 2 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | RED BLUFF MUNICIPAL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | RBL |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 10 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 180 |
| Airport Elevation | 349 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| 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 | 0 |
| 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) | 0.25 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 13 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 160 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 551 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Feb 3 1995 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2134 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 7 2000 4:03PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N7509H |
| NTSB Number | LAX95LA098 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | SCHWEIZER |
| Aircraft Model | 269C |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 269C |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1441 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2050 |
| 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 | 3 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jan 18 1995 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 8 |
| Airframe Hours | 295 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | SPRINGER, H. GAYLEN & KATHERIN |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 8476 SAGHALIE RD S |
| Aircraft Owner City | SALEM |
| Aircraft Owner State | OR |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 97306 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | PRECISION HELICOPTERS, INC |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | NEWBERG |
| Operator State | OR |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| 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) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | O85 |
| Departure City | REDDING |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1908 |
| Departure Time Zone | PST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | MOD |
| Destination City | MODESTO |
| 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 10:30AM |
| 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 | -- |