Sikorsky S-55B accident near Otsego, Ohio, May 4, 1982
On May 4, 1982 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Sikorsky S-55B (helicopter), registered N16861, was substantially damaged in an accident near Otsego, Ohio. 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
- May 4, 1982 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Otsego, Ohio
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky S-55B · all S-55Bs on the register
- Registration
- N16861 · no longer on the register · serial 55-729
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS SPREADING FERTILIZER BY USING EXTERNAL BUCKETS. AS HE WAS UNHOOKING A BUCKET, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. HE DID A HOVERING AUTOROTATION, BUT THE HELICOPTER SETTLED ON A BUCKET, TIPPED OVER AND ALLOWED THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES TO HIT THE GROUND. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE ENGINE HAD MECHANICAL CONTINUITY AND THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS CLEAN AND WORKING PROPERLY. HOWEVER, EVIDENCE OF ARCING WAS FOUND IN THE MAGNETO SWITCH CASE. ALSO, SIGNS WERE FOUND THAT INDICATED MOISTURE HAD BEEN PRESENT IN THE SWITCH. REPORTEDLY, THE ENGINE OPERATED NORMALLY AFTER THE SWITCH WAS REPLACED.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,300 hours in all; 1,032 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 3,182 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,675 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,200 lb
- Seats: 12
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wright C7BA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Otsego OH at 4:58 pm
- Destination: Otsego OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 172°F (78°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.