Sikorsky UH-19D accident near Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, December 6, 1986
On December 6, 1986 at about 7:42 pm local time, a Sikorsky UH-19D (helicopter), registered N37800, was substantially damaged in an accident near Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 6, 1986 · about 7:42 pm local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky UH-19D · all UH-19Ds on the register
- Registration
- N37800 · no longer on the register · serial 55-4944
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT SAID HE WAS SPREADING FERTILIZER ON TREES WHEN HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE FROM THE ENG & THE HELICOPTER YAWED LEFT. AT THAT TIME, THE HELICOPTER'S ALT & SPEED WERE ABOUT 100 FT & 40 KTS. COLLECTIVE WAS RAISED TO CLEAR TREE TOPS & REACH A CLEARING. BEFORE TOUCHDOWN, ROTOR ENERGY WAS EXPENDED, & SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER LANDED HARD & WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE PLT SENT THE ENG TO A REPAIR FACILITY, BUT THE REASON FOR THE MALFUNCTION WAS NOT VERIFIED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 250 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,044 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 28, 1986; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,500 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wright R-1300-3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from RWI, 52 miles away
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 N37800 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N37800: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Sikorsky UH-19 7 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Sikorsky 825 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Wright R-1300-3D 1 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 304 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,123 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N37800 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL87LA036.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.