Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Cupertino, California 95014
Wednesday, July 8, 1987 2:20 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
A MBB BK117A-3 HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH WIRES WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO AN ASPHALT ROAD IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT. NIGHT VMC PREVAILED AT THE TIME. THE PILOT INDICATED THAT HE DID NOT SEE THE WIRES AND WAS UNAWARE OF THE COLLISION UNTIL HE WAS INFORMED BY GROUND PERSONNEL. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD MADE 'NUMEROUS ORBITS' PRIOR TO BEGINNING HIS DESCENT FOR THE LANDING. THE PILOT ALSO INDICATED THAT HIS VISION WAS HAMPERED BY BLOWING DUST FROM THE HELICOPTER'S ROTORWASH AND THAT HE WAS BLINDED BY A SPOTLIGHT ON A LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLE. THE FLIGHT NURSE WHO WAS OCCUPYING THE RIGHT SEAT FACING AFT ALSO INDICATED THAT THE CONDITIONS WERE DUSTY AND GROUND PERSONNEL HAD POINTED THE LIGHT IN THE PILOTS FACE. THE PILOT ALSO INDICATED COMMUNICATIONS WITH GROUND PERSONNEL WAS OFTEN GARBLED.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Incident |
| Event Date | 7/8/1987 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 220 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | CUPERTINO |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 95014 |
| Event Date Year | 1987 |
| 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 | SJC |
| 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 | 225 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| 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 | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| 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) | 13 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 10 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 270 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 20 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 25 |
| 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 | 3 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 5069 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 9 1987 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 630 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 35929 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 2:36PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N160BK |
| NTSB Number | LAX87IA260 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Minor |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | MBB |
| Aircraft Model | BK117A-3 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | BK117A-3 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 7060 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 7055 |
| 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 | AAIP |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jun 21 1987 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 36 |
| Airframe Hours | 836 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | MDFC EQUIPMENT LEASING CORP. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 340 GOLDEN SHORE |
| Aircraft Owner City | LONG BEACH |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 90802 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | ROCKY MOUNTAIN HELICOPTERS |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 703 WELSH ROAD SUITE H-2 |
| Operator City | PALO ALTO |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | 94304 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | -- |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Non-scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | -- |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | PALO ALTO |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 138 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | CUPERTINO |
| Destination State | CA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| 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 | Yes |
| Medical Flight | Medical Emergency |