Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Coinjock, North Carolina 27923
Sunday, March 26, 1989 21:05 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE FLT WAS RETURNING TO HOMEBASE ALONG A NORMALLY TRAVELED ROUTE, WHEN THE HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH A NEWLY CONSTRUCTED ANTENNA FOR A CELLULAR PHONE OPN. THIS TOWER HAD BEEN COMPLETED ON THE SAME DAY AS THE ACDNT. ACCORDING TO THE FIELD SUPERVISOR, THE LAST 100 FT SECTION OF THE 240 FT TOWER WAS COMPLETED NEAR SUNSET & THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO COMPLETE THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION TO THE INSTALLED BEACON. THE SUPERVISOR FAILED TO ADVISE FLIGHT SERVICE OF THE TOWER HEIGHT & THAT THE BEACON WAS NOT IN OPN. A WRECKAGE EXAM INDICATED THAT THE HELICOPTER ROTOR SYSTEM COLLIDED WITH THE TOWER ABOUT 15 FT FROM THE TOP. ACCORDING TO ANOTHER PLT AT THE COUNTY'S FLT OPN, MOST FLTS WERE FLOWN BETWEEN 100 & 500 FT AGL.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
FAILURE OF THE CELLULAR COMPANY TO PROPERLY INSTALL AN OPERATIONAL LIGHTING SYSTEM ON A NEWLY CONSTRUCTED TRANSMISSION TOWER. DARKNESS AND THE COMPANY'S FAILURE TO NOTIFY FLIGHT SERVICE OF THE UNLIGHTED TOWER WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/26/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 2105 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | COINJOCK |
| Event State | NORTH CAROLINA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 27923 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| 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 | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Partial - limited by pilot |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | 106H |
| 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 | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 7 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 9 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 7 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| 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 | 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 | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1375 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 27 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2300 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 39673 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 18 2002 11:28AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\GIUV |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N39187 |
| NTSB Number | ATL89FA116 |
| 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 | MBB |
| Aircraft Model | BK-117-A-3 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | BK-117-A-3 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 7010 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 7056 |
| 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 | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Feb 11 1989 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 226 |
| Airframe Hours | 1090 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | DARE COUNTY |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 1000 |
| Aircraft Owner City | MANTEO |
| Aircraft Owner State | NC |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 27954 |
| 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 | 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) | Public Use |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | NGH |
| Departure City | NORFOLK |
| Departure State | VA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | MANTEO |
| Destination State | NC |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| 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 | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |