ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 36394
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| Date: | Monday 27 August 1990 |
| Time: | 01:00 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 206B JetRanger |
| Owner/operator: | Omniflight Helicopters |
| Registration: | N16933 |
| MSN: | 2338 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1977 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7018 hours |
| Engine model: | ALLISON 250-C20B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Elkhorn, WI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Golf course near Elkhorn, Wisconsin |
| Chicago, IL (MDW) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Analysis
FOUR HELICOPTERS WERE BEING USED AT NIGHT TO TRANSPORT A CONCERT GROUP FROM A GOLF COURSE AREA NEAR ELKHORN, WI, TO CHICAGO, IL. AS THE THIRD HELICOPTER (N16933) WAS DEPARTING, IT REMAINED AT A LOWER ALTITUDE THAN THE OTHERS, AND THE PILOT TURNED SOUTHEASTERLY TOWARD RISING TERRAIN. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER CRASHED ON HILLY TERRAIN ABOUT 3/5 MI FROM THE TAKEOFF POINT.
ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 100 FT ABOVE THE GOLF COURSE AND 50 FT BELOW THE SUMMIT OF THE HILL. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION. PILOTS OF THE OTHER HELICOPTERS REPORTED VFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS WITH SOME FOG. A GROUND WITNESS NEAR THE CRASH SITE REPORTED HAZE AND GROUND FOG OF VARYING INTENSITY WITH PATCHES OF LOW CLOUDS, BUT SAID STARS COULD BE SEEN THROUGH THE FOG.
Probable Cause and Findings
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, AND HIS FAILURE TO ATTAIN ADEQUATE ALTITUDE BEFORE FLYING OVER RISING TERRAIN AT NIGHT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, FOG, HAZE, RISING TERRAIN, AND THE LACK OF VISUAL CUES THAT WERE AVAILABLE TO THE PILOT.
Blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan killed.
Sources:
NTSB: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001212X23968&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=MA
Check-Six.com: http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/SRVaughan-N16933.htm
_________________________
https://www.loudersound.com/features/ray-of-light-stevie-ray-vaughan
Images:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Aug-2018 15:08 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Nature, Source, Narrative, Photo] |
| 27-Aug-2018 15:19 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Time, Departure airport] |
| 15-Mar-2019 18:02 | Anon. | Updated [Source] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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