Aerospatiale 316B accident near Wauseon, Ohio, March 27, 1983
On March 27, 1983, a Aerospatiale 316B (helicopter), registered N62268, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wauseon, Ohio. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 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 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
- March 27, 1983
- Place
- Wauseon, Ohio
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale 316B
- Registration
- N62268 · no longer on the register · serial 2046
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS INVOLVED IN A HARD LANDING WHILE ENGAGED IN A PATIENT PICKUP FLIGHT FOR ST. VINCENT HOSPITAL. THE PILOT, DOCTOR AND NURSE ABOARD WERE NOT INJURED. THE PILOT REPORTED THE WIND AT DEPARTURE 25 MILES AWAY WAS 10 KNOTS. HOWEVER HE ESTIMATED THE WIND VELOCITY AT THE ACCIDENT SITE AT 25 TO 30 KNOTS. THE HELIPAD WAS LOCATED ON THE LEEWARD SIDE OF THE HEALTH CENTER FOR FULTON COUNTY. AS THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED FOR LANDING THROUGH 75 FEET AGL THE PILOT SAID THE RATE OF DESCENT INCREASED FROM 500 FPM TO 3500 FPM. HE ADDED POWER AND FLARED AT 10 FEET AGL BUT STILL TOUCHED DOWN HARD ON SLOPING TERRAIN RIGHT GEAR FIRST. SUBTANTIAL DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR STRUT AND CENTER FRAME OF THE FUSELAGE.
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: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,128 hours in all; 952 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,908 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,960 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Artouste 111 B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Toledo OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 080° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N62268 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.