NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DEN92FA064
Registry · N108SC
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA 407
TCDS
H2SW · BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA LTD
Seats / Engines
8 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A023FF
Registrant of record
COUNTY OF SONOMA
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO EXERCISE ADEQUATE VFR DEPARTURE TERRAIN AVOIDANCE PROCEDURES, AND THE FAILURE OF THE CONTROLLER TO ISSUE A SAFETY ALERT TO THE PILOT. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE GEOGRAPHIC AREA, THE DARK NIGHT, AND THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Factual narrative
THE FLT HAD DEPARTED THE ALAMAGORDO WHITE SANDS REGIONAL ARPT AFTER A FUEL STOP. THE PILOT HAD EARLIER INDICATED TO ATC THAT HE WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AT 2321 THE PILOT WAS INFORMED THAT DEPARTURE RADAR WAS OUT OF SERVICE. THE FLT DEPARTED WITH A VFR DEPARTURE. AT 2324 THE PILOT WAS ADVISED THAT RADAR WAS BACK IN SERVICE, AND CONFIRMED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS CLIMBING THRU 5,300 FT. DISCUSSION ENSUED BETWEEN THE PILOT AND CONTROLLER CONCERNING TERRAIN CLEARANCE. AT 2324 THE PILOT INDICATED HE WAS TURNING LEFT DUE TO NOT BEING SURE IF A HILL WAS IN HIS PATH. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED A MOUNTAIN AT 6,100 FT MSL, 1,500 FT BELOW THE SUMMIT. THE MINIMUM VECTORING ALTITUDE IN THE AREA WAS 11,000 FT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1992_DEN92FA064.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.