Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Airship Industries Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Weeksville, North Carolina 27909
Monday, June 1, 1992 16:30 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE AIRSHIP WAS BEING FLOWN ON A POST MAINTENANCE INSPECTION FLIGHT FOLLOWING AN ANNUAL INSPECTION. AFTER RELEASE FROM THE MOORING TRUCK THE AIRSHIP ROSE ABOUT 150 FEET THEN PITCHED OVER. FULL AFT MOVEMENT OF THE CONTROL YOKE FOR NOSE PITCH UP WAS INEFFECTIVE. THE AIRSHIP THEN COLLIDED WITH THE VEHICLE MOUNTED MOORING MAST WHICH PUNCTURED THE AIR BAG. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRSHIP REVEALED THAT THE ELEVATOR CONTROL CABLES WERE RIGGED BACKWARDS. DURING THE ANNUAL INSPECTION THE ELEVATOR HAD BEEN REMOVED & RE-INSTALLED. THE INSPECTOR WHO SIGNED OFF THE INSPECTION PAPERS DEMONSTRATED, & STATED, THAT HIS INSPECTION PROCEDURE WAS ACCOMPLISHED ALONE. HE PUSHED ON THE ELEVATOR WITH HIS HAND TO CHECK ELEVATOR DEFLECTION. HE DID NOT HAVE A SECOND PERSON ACTIVATE THE COCKPIT CONTROL, TO ENSURE ELEVATOR MOVEMENT IN THE PROPER DIRECTION, AS REQUIRED BY THE MAINTENANCE MANUAL. THE FLIGHT CREW PRE-UNMASTING PROCEDURE REQUIRED THAT A GROUND CREW MAN BE USED TO CONFIRM CORRECT CONTROL SURFACE MOVEMENT.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE ELEVATOR CONTROL CABLES BY REPAIR FACILITY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL, THE INSPECTOR'S INADEQUATE INSPECTION OF THE MAINTENANCE ACCOMPLISHED, AND HIS FAILURE TO FOLLOW DELINEATED PROCEDURES. AN ADDITIONAL CAUSE WAS THE INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND, IN THAT HE FAILED TO CONFIRM CORRECT CONTROL SURFACE MOVEMENT AS REQUIRED BY THE PRE-UNMASTING CHECKLIST.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 6/1/1992 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 1630 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | WEEKSVILLE |
| Event State | NORTH CAROLINA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 27909 |
| Event Date Year | 1992 |
| Event Date Month | 6 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | AIRSHIP INDUSTRIES |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | NONE |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 180 |
| Airport Elevation | 12 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1620 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 340 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ECG |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 12 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 1 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 25000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 21 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 320 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 10 |
| 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 | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 5 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2569 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jun 12 1992 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1530 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 47292 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 2:58PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N600LP |
| NTSB Number | ATL92LA122 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Airship Industries |
| Aircraft Model | AIRSHIP 600 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | AIRSHIP 60 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1215-05 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3195 |
| Aircraft Category | Blimp |
| 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 | 7 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jun 1 1992 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 1 |
| Airframe Hours | 5827 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ORIX USA CORP. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 600 WILSHIRE BLVD SUITE 1460 |
| Aircraft Owner City | LOS ANGELES |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 90017 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | AIRSHIP INTERNATIONAL |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 7380 SAND LAKE ROAD |
| Operator City | ORLANDO |
| Operator State | FL |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 32819 |
| 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) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | ECG |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1630 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Takeoff |
| 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 | -- |