Tomcat MK68 accident near Cope, South Carolina, October 15, 1982
On October 15, 1982 at about 3:55 pm local time, a Tomcat MK68 (helicopter), registered N9080T, was destroyed in an accident near Cope, South Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 1982 · about 3:55 pm local time
- Place
- Cope, South Carolina
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Tomcat MK68
- Registration
- N9080T · no longer on the register · serial CCI-76-4
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE STARTING HIS TAKEOFF FROM A TRAILER, THE PILOT FAILED TO INSURE THAT HIS HELPER HAD RELEASED THE RIGHT REAR TIEDOWN CHAIN. DURING LIFT-OFF, THE HELICOPTER RAISED THE TRAILER ABOUT 2 TO 3 FT BEFORE THE CHAIN. BROKE. SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE HELICOPTER WAS PULLED TO THE RIGHT AND REARWARD. THE PILOT STATED THERE WAS NO TIME TO MAKE A CORRECTION. THE HELICOPTER CRASHED ABOUT 4 TO 5 FT FROM THE TRAILER.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 8,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,975 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Cope SC at 11:55 am
- Destination: Cope SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N9080T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.