Agusta A109E accident near Fort Worth, Texas, November 8, 2002
On November 8, 2002 at about 4:35 pm local time, a Agusta A109E (helicopter), registered N142CF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas (Harris Hospital airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 pilot's attempted running takeoff with the power controls in the improper position.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 8, 2002 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Worth, Texas · Harris Hospital · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Agusta A109E · all A109Es on the register
- Registration
- N142CF · registry record · serial 11141
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After landing on the helipad, the pilot reduced the throttles to flight idle. The pilot was then going to demonstrate to the flight crew how the helicopter could taxi and perform a running takeoff. The pilot initiated the takeoff roll, added collective, and realized the engines were not at 100 percent power. Subsequently, the helicopter became airborne, departed the heliport and came to rest on the roof of a lower level parking garage. In an interview, the pilot reported that "he attempted a rolling take-off...with an incorrect power setting (selection switch) which resulted in an emergency landing on the roof of an adjacent automobile parking garage due to insufficient engine power to maintain flight." The pilot had accumulated approximately 6,500 total helicopter flight hours, with 3,100 flight hours as a flight instructor in helicopters, and 25 total hours in the same make and model as the accident helicopter.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,500 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 8,400 as pilot in command; 3,100 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 31, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 200.9 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 30, 2002; 9.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,283 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206C (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TE30 Fort Worth TX at 4:35 pm
- Destination: GPM Grand Prairie TX
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 18 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N142CF 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.