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FTW83FA251

1983-05-28 · OPELOUSAS, Louisiana, United States · Fatal · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport OPL

N56932 has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (POWRACHUTE CORP PC 2000), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE HELICOPTER WAS OBSERVED TO LIFT OFF TO A HOVER AND BEGAN AN ERRATIC HOVER. THE ACFT PITCHED UP AND SPUN THROWING THEPLT OUT AND FATALLY INJURING HIM. WITNESSES SAID THEY DID NOT KNOW THE PLT WAS GOING TO FLY THE HELICOPTER. THE OPINION WAS THAT IT WAS TO BE AN ENGINE RUN-UP ON THE GROUND. THE PILOT DID NOT HAVE HIS SEAT BELT FASTENED. AFTER HE WAS THROWNOUT THE ACFT FLEW SPINNING UP AND DOWN UNTIL IT IMPACTED IN A FLAT SPINNING MOTION AND SPUN ON THE GROUND UNTIL ROTATION STOPPED AFTER A FEW MINUTES. A WITNESS ENTERED THE COCKPIT AND SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE. THE HELICOPTER CAME TO REST ABOUT 87 FT FROM THE INITIAL LIFT-OFF POINT. THE PLT HAD ABOUT 8 HOURS SOLO IN HELICOPTERS AND HAD JUST BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT SIMILAR TO THE ONE ABOUT 1 WEEK EARLIER. IN THAT ACCIDENT HE WAS NOT INJURED. THIS HELICOPTER WAS BEING CHECKED BY THE PLT WITH THE IDEA OF PURCHASE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1983_FTW83FA251.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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