Aerospatiale AS-355-F incident near Reidsville, North Carolina, May 13, 1988
On May 13, 1988 at about 2:00 am local time, a Aerospatiale AS-355-F (helicopter), registered N101UC, suffered minor damage in an incident near Reidsville, North Carolina (Rockingham County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were 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 incident. 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
- May 13, 1988 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Reidsville, North Carolina · Rockingham County
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS-355-F · all AS-355-Fs on the register
- Registration
- N101UC · no longer on the register · serial 5186
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
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: 2,300 hours in all; 350 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,608 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 4, 1988; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20F (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Grundy WV
- Destination: Durham NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 5,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N101UC 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.