Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Moraga, California 94556
Tuesady, November 3, 1987 13:38 PST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE STUDENT WAS ON A DUAL FLIGHT, REVIEWING MANEUVERS & PROCEDURES TO REVALIDATE AN EXPIRED CFI CERTIFICATE. AN EXAM OF HIS LOG REVEALED THAT ON THE LAST 2 FLIGHTS, HE OCCUPIED THE LEFT PILOT SEAT & PRACTICED TEACHING QUICK STOPS, HOVERING AUTOROTATIONS, LOW ROTOR RPM RECOVERY & THROTTLE CUTS. WITNESSES SAID THE HELICOPTER HAD BEEN WORKING THE AREA ABOUT 20 MIN NEAR A HILL TOP. THEY SAID THE HELICOPTER WAS HOVERING 'AT 400' AGL' WHEN THE ENGINE NOISE SUDDENLY 'DIED OFF' & THEN THEY HEARD A LOUD 'POP.' THEY SAW PARTS FALLING OFF THE HELICOPTER AS IT FELL. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED A MAIN ROTOR BLADE ENTERED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE COCKPIT. NO PREIMPACT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. TOXICOLOGY TESTS SHOWED A TRACE OF MARIJUANA METABOLITE IN THE INSTRUCTOR'S URINE, BUT A TOXICOLOGIST CONCLUDED THERE WAS NO 'CURRENT INFLUENCE' OF THE DRUG. A TRACE OF COCAINE METABOLITE WAS DETECTED IN THE STUDENT'S URINE. THE SAFETY BOARD FOUND THAT THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO CONCLUDE THAT DRUGS HAD AFFECTED EITHER PILOT'S ABILITY TO OPERATE THE AIRCRAFT.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
A DIVERGENCE OF THE MAIN ROTOR FROM ITS NORMAL PLANE OF ROTATION FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON, WHICH RESULTED IN ROTOR CONTACT WITH THE COCKPIT AREA.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 11/3/1987 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1338 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Standard Time |
| Event City | MORAGA |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 94556 |
| Event Date Year | 1987 |
| Event Date Month | 11 |
| 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 | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1245 Pacific Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 26 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | CCR |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 23 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 8 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 15000 |
| 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) | 15 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 19 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 9 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 60 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 6 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 280 |
| 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) | 2660 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Nov 3 1987 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1410 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 40008 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 2:59PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N8475A |
| NTSB Number | LAX88FA032 |
| 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 | ROBINSON |
| Aircraft Model | R22A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | R22A |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 0389 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1370 |
| 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 | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Oct 12 1987 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 83 |
| Airframe Hours | 2334 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | HELICOPTER ADVENTURES, INC |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 260 BUCHANAN FIELD ROAD |
| Aircraft Owner City | CONCORD |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 94523 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | HELICOPTER ADVENTURES, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 260 BUCHANAN FIELD ROAD |
| Operator City | CONCORD |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 94523 |
| 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 | CCR |
| Departure City | CONCORD |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1245 |
| Departure Time Zone | PST |
| 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 | Hover |
| 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 | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |