McDonnell Douglas 369E N451DS
24 October 1990 · Compton, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 24 October 1990 at about 02:46 local time, a McDonnell Douglas 369E registered N451DS, operated by Los Angeles Sheriff Dept., was involved in an accident near Compton, California, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 02:46
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Compton, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.8693, -118.2403
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas 369E
- Registration
- N451DS
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Los Angeles Sheriff Dept.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Carson → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Bright
- NTSB number
- LAX91GA016
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
INADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT BY THE PILOTS OF BOTH AIRCRAFT, WHICH RESULTED IN A FAILURE OF EACH TO SEE-AND-AVOID CONFLICTING TRAFFIC. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, FAILURE OF THE PILOT OF AIR 28 (N48HR) TO USE HIS TRANSPONDER NEAR THE TCA, AND THE PILOT OF AIR 21 DIVERTED TOO MUCH OF HIS ATTENTION TO A MAP.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
TWO HELICOPTERS WERE BEING USED IN LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES. ONE WAS A LOS ANGELES SHERIFF'S DEPT (LASD) MCDONNELL- DOUGLAS 369E, N451DS, CALL SIGN AIR 21. THE OTR WAS A COMPTON POLICE DEPT (CPD) ENSTROM F-28F, N48HR, CALL SIGN AIR 28. WHILE IN THE LAX TCA, AIR 21 RESPONDED TO AN EMERG CALL. AFTER DEPG THE TCA, THE PLT (AIR 21) SWITCHED HIS COM RADIO TO 123.02 MHZ (COMMON FREQ FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE AREA) & ANNOUNCED HIS PSN. WHEN NO RESPONSE WAS RCVD, HE SWITCHED TO THE COMPTON UNICOM FREQ (122.9 MHZ). AT ABOUT THAT TIME, AIR 28 WAS ORBITING IN THE SAME VCNTY. THE PLT OF AIR 28 SAID HE HAD ANNOUNCED HIS PSN ON 122.9 MHZ (RQRD FREQ IN THE AREA FOR CPD ACFT) & WAS MONITORING 123.02 MHZ. THE 2 CONVERGED & COLLIDED, BUT BOTH REMAINED CONTROLLABLE & WERE LNDD FROM EMERG APCHS. BFR THE MIDAIR, THE PLT OF AIR 21 WAS HELPING HIS OBSERVER LOOK FOR A PSN ON A MAP. HE SAW AIR 28 JUST BFR IMPACT, BUT NOT IN TIME TO AVOID A COLLISION. THE PLT OF AIR 28 HAD HIS TRANSPONDER ON STANDBY, ALTHO HE WAS REQD TO BE OPERG IT, WHILE WITHIN 30 MI OF THE (GROUP 1) TCA.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas 369E 369E | N451DS | Los Angeles Sheriff Dept. | Substantial |
| Enstrom F-28F F-28F | N48HR | Compton Police Department | Substantial |
Other McDonnell Douglas 369 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 May 1990 | McDonnell Douglas 369E | Hilo, Hawaii, United States | Aviation, IO | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Dec 1990 | McDonnell Douglas 369D | Haleakla Nat Pk, Hawaii, United States | Paciffic Helicopter Tours | Fatal | 1 |
| 18 Dec 1990 | McDonnell Douglas 369D | Keanae, Hawaii, United States | Pacific Helicopters Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Nov 1990 | McDonnell Douglas 369E | Los Alamitos, California, United States | Los Angeles Sheriff's Dept | No injuries | - |
| 10 Nov 1990 | McDonnell Douglas 369E | Llano, California, United States | Los Angeles Sheriff's Dept | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Jul 1990 | McDonnell Douglas 369HS | Modesto, California, United States | David L. Heath | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |