American Blimp Corp. A-60+ incident near Manchester, Massachusetts, September 26, 2006
On September 26, 2006 at about 4:15 pm local time, a American Blimp Corp. A-60+ (airship), registered N614LG, suffered minor damage in an incident near Manchester, Massachusetts (Beverly Municipal Airport). It was an other work-use 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
A malfunction of the rudder control system, and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection. Contributing to the incident was the inadequate design of the chain keeper guards.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 2006 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Manchester, Massachusetts · Beverly Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Blimp Corp. A-60+
- Registration
- N614LG · registry record · serial 014
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to departure, the operator's maintenance personnel performed engine starts, runups, and pressure checks. While a mechanic was performing the engine runups, a gust of wind kited the blimp and then forced it down, fully collapsing the wheel strut which was mounted to a truss assembly in the bottom of the control car in close proximity to the rudder control system's idler shaft assembly drive sprockets. The pilot of the blimp who witnessed the incident, discussed the incident with a mechanic, then entered the control car and moved the rudder pedals and control wheel each way to insure that there were no flight control restrictions; however, prior to departure, the pilot did not perform a pre-unmasting flight control check with the aid of the crew chief, which was required by the aircraft flight manual. After applying power and lifting off, the nose of the blimp began to move left. The pilot could not arrest the turn with the application of right rudder. There was no response or feedback from the rudder and the blimp began to drift to the east. The pilot tried to steer using differential power but, when he added power on either engine, it only increased the rate of turn to the left. As the blimp continued to drift eastward while simultaneously turning left, the blimp approached a metropolitan area and the Atlantic Ocean. The pilot then descended so that if the blimp drifted towards an "open" area, a rapid descent could be initiated to the ground. The descent was then continued by venting helium from the blimp's envelope. As the blimp continued to descend the pilot realized that there were no open areas in which to land, and as the blimp was headed into the wind, he brought both engines to idle and held both helium valves full open until the blimp settled into trees. Post incident examination of the blimps rudder control system revealed that the pedal cable/chain assembly had slipped off of the idler shaft assembly outboard drive sprocket. Further examination revealed that the sprocket was partially surrounded by two metallic tabs, one located above the sprocket, and one located below the sprocket, which acted as a chain keeper guard; however, the front and left side of the sprocket was unguarded.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: gyroplane; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: airship; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,931 hours in all; 6,211 in this make and model; 165 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days; 10,496 as pilot in command; 3,092 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,823.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 4,394 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Limbach L-2000 ECI (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Limbach L-2000 ECI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BVY Beverly MA at 4:15 pm
- Destination: BVY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from BVY, 5 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.
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.