McDonnell Douglas 369E N1605Z
19 October 1993 · Richfield, Ohio, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 19 October 1993 at about 20:50 local time, a McDonnell Douglas 369E registered N1605Z, operated by MPW Industrial Services Inc., was involved in an accident near Richfield, Ohio, United States. 3 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Richfield, Ohio, United States
- Coordinates
- 41.2302, -81.6304
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas 369E
- Registration
- N1605Z
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- MPW Industrial Services Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Cleveland → Hebron
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC94FA014
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
AN IN FLIGHT COLLISION WITH POWER LINES WHILE THE PILOT WAS MANEUVERING THE HELICOPTER AT A LOW ALTITUDE. A FACTOR IN THIS ACCIDENT WAS REDUCED VISIBILITY DUE TO FOGGY WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
SEVERAL WITNESSES DRIVING IN THEIR CARS OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER PRIOR TO IMPACT AND SAID THEY SAW THE HELICOPTER HEADING SOUTHBOUND AT A LOW ALTITUDE IN FOG, TURN TO A WESTERLY HEADING, REVERSE DIRECTION ABOUT 120 DEGREES, DESCEND AND STRIKE WIRES THAT WERE IN THE HELICOPTER'S FLIGHT PATH. A WITNESS WHO WAS A PILOT SAID, '...AS THE CRAFT DESCENDED I COULD SEE THAT THE OUTLINE OF THE FUSELAGE WAS BLURRED BY MISTY RAIN AT THE LOWER ALTITUDE (MARGINAL IFR AT THE MOMENT).' AFTER STRIKING THE WIRES THE TAIL ROTOR SEPARATED, THE HELICOPTER SPUN COUNTER CLOCKWISE UNTIL THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES IMPACTED THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER AND ENGINE REVEALED NO DISCREPANCIES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other McDonnell Douglas 369 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jun 1993 | McDonnell Douglas 369D | Half Moon Bay, California, United States | Skydance Operations, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 18 Aug 1993 | McDonnell Douglas 369E | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | City of Jacksonville | Unknown | - |
| 29 Nov 1994 | McDonnell Douglas 369E | Smyrna, Tennessee, United States | Nashville Metro. Police Dept. | Unknown | - |
| 24 Nov 1992 | McDonnell Douglas 369E | Juniper Flats, California, United States | Riverside County Sheriff's DEP | Unknown | - |
| 12 Feb 1992 | McDonnell Douglas 369E | Clinton, Maryland, United States | Govt. of the Dist. of Columbia | Unknown | - |
| 13 Jun 1992 | McDonnell Douglas 369E | Yukon, Oklahoma, United States | Oklahoma City Police Dept | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 May 1993 | Leveck VANCRAFT | Hebron, Ohio, United States | Jack Leveck | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 May 1993 | Forest Ripley Z MAX | Delaware, Ohio, United States | Forest Ripley | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Sep 1993 | Piper PA-28-181 | Columbia Stn, Ohio, United States | Illinois Valley Flying Club | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 May 1993 | Meador DRAGONFLY SP | Hamilton, Ohio, United States | William R Meador | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Sep 1993 | Cessna 180H | New Philadelphi, Ohio, United States | Robert Henry | No injuries | - |
| 19 Sep 1993 | Piper PA-28-151 | Painesville, Ohio, United States | Robert Chin | No injuries | - |