Helio HST-550A accident near Mobile, Alabama, September 29, 1990
On September 29, 1990 at about 3:17 pm local time, a Helio HST-550A, registered N5779N, was destroyed in an accident near Mobile, Alabama. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured; 9 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INTENTIONAL ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF WITH A KNOWN TAILWIND COMPONENT. FACTORS RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE TAILWIND, TREES AND UTILITY LINES ON THE DEPARTURE END OF THE TAKEOFF AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1990 · about 3:17 pm local time
- Place
- Mobile, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured; 9 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Helio HST-550A
- Registration
- N5779N · no longer on the register · serial 006
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES AND POWER LINES DURING TAKEOFF FROM A 2000 FOOT LONG OPEN AREA WITH 10 PARACHUTISTS ABOARD. THE PILOT SAID HE EXPERINENCED AN UNSOLICITED ROLLBACK IN ENGINE POWER PRIOR TO THE COLLISION. REPORTEDLY, SOME POWER WAS REGAINED. HOWEVER, NOT IN TIME TO AVOID THE COLLISION. BUT, THE JUMP CLUB CHAIRMAN REPORTED THAT NO CHANGE IN THE ENGINE'S OPERATION WAS OBSERVED THROUGHOUT THE MISHAP. WITNESSES AT THE TAKEOFF AREA REPORTED THAT THE WINDS WERE 12 KNOTS OUT OF THE NORTHEAST, WHICH WOULD HAVE GIVEN THE FLIGHT A QUARTERING TAILWIND COMPONENT FOR THE TAKEOFF. ACCORDING TO THE FLIGHT MANUAL, THE MAXIMUM DEMONSTRATED CROSSWIND IS 12 KNOTS. THE EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE FAILED TO INDICATE ANY SYSTEM MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,482 hours in all; 410 in this make and model; 205 in the last 90 days; 63 in the last 30 days; 11,722 as pilot in command; 415 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT 6A-34 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:50 pm from BFM, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 8 |
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.
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.