Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Twin Peaks, California 92391
Saturday, July 11, 1992 8:07 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
BEFORE DEPARTING ON THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT THE PILOT CALLED HIS FRIEND AND CANCELLED A PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED FLIGHT FOR HIS FRIEND'S SON STATING THAT IT WAS TOO FOGGY. ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER THE PILOT DEPARTED THE MOUNTAINOUS AREA HELIPAD ON THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. THERE WERE NO EYEWITNESS. THE CARETAKER OF THE HELIPAD AREA REPORTED THAT THE HELICOPTER FLEW IN A NORTHERLY DIRECTION AND THAT THE PREVAILING FOG/LOW CLOUDS CONDITIONS WERE INTERMITTENT AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE. ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER GROUND WITNESSES HEARD THE HELICOPTER PASS OVER THE CONDOMINIUM COMPLEX IN A SOUTHEASTERLY DIRECTION AND MOMENTS LATER THEY REPORTED HEARING A SUDDEN LOUD NOISE. THE WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE CEILING WAS ABOUT 50 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AND THAT THE HIGHER ELEVATION TREE TOPS WERE OBSCURED BY THE CLOUDS. THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE TREES SOUTH OF THE CONDOMINIUM COMPLEX AND CONTINUED IN A SOUTHEASTERLY DIRECTION UNTIL STRIKING THE SOUTHSIDE OF THE COMPLEX. A 6-FT BY 2-FT DIAMETER SECTION OF THE TREE WAS SEVERED BY THE HELICOPTER'S MAIN ROTOR BLADE AND PENETRATED THE CONDOMINIUM COMPLEX ROOF AND FRONT GLASS WINDOW. THE TREE SECTION CAME TO REST ABOUT 250 FEET BEYOND THE TREE IMPACT AREA IN THE STREET.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
WAS THE PILOT'S DECISION TO INITIATE THE FLIGHT IN KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER AND CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE LOW CLOUDS AND FOG.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/11/1992 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 807 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | TWIN PEAKS |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 92391 |
| Event Date Year | 1992 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| 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 | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 50 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 50 |
| 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 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 18 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Light and Variable |
| 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 | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2515 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 11 1992 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 830 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 47347 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 3:05PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N59484 |
| NTSB Number | LAX92FA294 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| 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 | 1264 |
| 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 | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Apr 29 1992 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 59 |
| Airframe Hours | 3981 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | HISER HELICOPTERS, INC |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 1969 AVIATION DRIVE, UNIT C |
| Aircraft Owner City | CORONA |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 91720 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | FARRELL, RICHARD L. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 27905 PENINSULA DR. NORTH |
| Operator City | LAKE ARROWHEAD |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 92352 |
| 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) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | RIM FOREST |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 801 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | UDD |
| Destination City | BERMUDA DUNES |
| Destination State | CA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| 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 | -- |