Mcdonnell Douglas 369D accident near Half Moon Bay, California, June 19, 1993
On June 19, 1993 at about 11:10 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas 369D (helicopter), registered N277SP, was destroyed in an accident near Half Moon Bay, California. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilots failure to maintain an adequate clearance from the light tower and associated electrical power cables. Factors in the accident were; 1) pilot fatigue due to an excessively long duty day, and 2) glare from the lights which affected the pilot's ability to clearly see the obsturctions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 1993 · about 11:10 am local time
- Place
- Half Moon Bay, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas 369D
- Registration
- N277SP · registry record · serial 290461D
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed his residence in the southern California area at 1030 on June 18th and flew commercially to Reno, Nevada. The pilot was to pick up the helicopter and ferry it to a movie filming location at the accident site, where it was to be used as a camera platform. The pilot arrived in Reno at 1300 hours and was informed that the helicopter was not at the airport and ground transportation would be sent to take him to the helicopter. The pilot waited in the airport terminal until 1630 hours for ground transportation to arrive. At 1745 hours the pilot departed in the accident helicopter and arrived at the filming site about 1850 hours. The actual filming started just after midnight on saturday morning and concluded at 0300 hours that morning. About 0410 hours the pilot was maneuvering the helicopter to depart the area when it collided with a power cable attached to an illuminated bank of high intensity lights mounted on top of a 125 foot tall telescoping tower used during the filming. The impact occurred on the same side of the tower as the two million candle power lights. The accident occurred about 17 hours after the pilot had departed his residence.
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; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 4,300 in this make and model; 25 in the last 30 days; 11,000 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 7, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Skydance Operations, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N277SP 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.