Robinson R22 accident near Wiggins, Mississippi, January 31, 1997
On January 31, 1997 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Robinson R22 (helicopter), registered N8319T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wiggins, Mississippi (Griffin Memorial airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 student pilot misjudged rotor blade clearance from a utility pole, which resulted in a collision. The proximity of the pole was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 31, 1997 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wiggins, Mississippi · Griffin Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 · all R22s on the register
- Registration
- N8319T · no longer on the register · serial 2488
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was conducting a solo cross-country flight, and had completed two legs of the flight before landing at Wiggins. According to the operator, the student was hovering to a parking ramp to refuel, when the main rotor blades struck a utility pole. The operator said that the student pilot saw the utility pole, but misjudged the rotor blade clearance. No mechanical problems with the helicopter were reported by the student.
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: student
- Flight time: 76 hours in all; 76 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 19 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,403 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 29, 1997; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GPT Gulfport MS at 4:50 pm
- Destination: MS06 MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:30 pm from GPT, 45 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 N8319T 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.