Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Kittanning, Pennsylvania
Tuesady, June 15, 1982 13:25 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE HELICOPTER WAS ON A POWERLINE PATROL FLIGHT WITH THREE OCCUPANTS ON BOARD. WHILE PROCEEDING ALONG THE POWERLINE WITH A TAILWIND, THE PILOT STARTED TO CLIMB OVER A HILL. HE STATED TO THE PASSENGERS THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO OUT CLIMB THE HILL, THEN CIRCLED TO THE RIGHT AND GAINED MORE AIRSPEED TO TOP THE HILL. AFTER TOPPING THE HILL, HE STARTED DOWN THE OTHER SIDE WHILE TO THE LEFT AND ABOUT 10 FT ABOVE THE POWERLINE WITH AN AIRSPEED OF 0 TO 20 KTS. ABOUT 1/4 MILE DOWN THE HILL AND AT 200 FT LOWER ELEVATION, THE HELICOPTER APPROACHED ANOTHER LINE THAT CROSSED OVER THE LINE THAT WAS BEING PATROLLED. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, THE HELICOPTER ENTERED A STEEP TURN OVER THE LINE BEING PATROLLED AND BELOW THE OTHER. THE HELICOPTER AVOIDED THE LINES, BUT CRASHED. THE TRANSMISSION SHEARED DURING IMPACT, MOVED FORWARD, AND CAUSED FATAL INJURY TO THE PILOT. THE PASSENGERS SUSPECTED A LOSS OF POWER, BUT NO PRECRASH FAILURE WAS FOUND. AC61-13B WARNS OF POSSIBLE "SETTLING WITH POWER" IN STEEP POWER APPROACHES NEAR ZERO AIRSPEED.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 6/15/1982 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1325 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | KITTANNING |
| Event State | PENNSYLVANIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | |
| Event Date Year | 1982 |
| Event Date Month | 6 |
| 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 | Unknown |
| 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 | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Unknown |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 50 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 80 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 0 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 230 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 12 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| 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 | 2 |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | FAA |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1000 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | |
| 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 | N9276Z |
| NTSB Number | NYC82FGM11 |
| 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 | 47G-3B-1 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 47G-3B-1 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 2982 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2950 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | Unknown |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 3 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 74 |
| Airframe Hours | 3884 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | EVERGREEN HELICOPTERS, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | THREE MILE LANE |
| Aircraft Owner City | MCMINNVILLE |
| Aircraft Owner State | OR |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 97128 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | EVERGREEN HELICOPTERS, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | THREE MILE LANE |
| Operator City | MCMINNVILLE |
| Operator State | OR |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 97128 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| 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) | Aerial Observation |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | KITTANNING |
| Departure State | PA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1317 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | KITTANNING |
| Destination State | PA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 18 2002 4:50PM |
| 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 | -- |