Mbb BO-105C accident near New Ringgold, Pennsylvania, April 28, 1982
On April 28, 1982 at about 3:55 am local time, a Mbb BO-105C (helicopter), registered N1022H, was destroyed in an accident near New Ringgold, Pennsylvania. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- April 28, 1982 · about 3:55 am local time
- Place
- New Ringgold, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mbb BO-105C
- Registration
- N1022H · no longer on the register · serial S-116
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS LEASED BY THE ALLENTOWN SACRED HEART HOSPITAL. AT 2236 EDT, THE PILOT, WHO WAS STANDING BY FOR DUTY, OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING. LATER, AT 2312, THERE WAS A REQUEST FOR A MED-EVAC HELICOPTER TO RESPOND TO A CAR ACCIDENT. THE HELICOPTER DEPARTED 10 MIN LATER AND LANDED AT THE SITE AT 2343 EDT. A SHORT TIME LATER, THE HELICOPTER LIFTED OFF WITH A PATIENT, TWO NURSES AND A PILOT ON BOARD. AT THAT TIME, THE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE VERY RAINY WITH A MILD BREEZE. REPORTEDLY, THE HELICOPTER DEPARTED TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST WITH THE SEARCHLIGHT ON. A SHORT TIME LATER, IT IMPACTED ON RISING TERRAIN IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AND IN A RIGHT BANK. A WITNESS REPORTED SEEING THE HELICOPTER CROSS OVER TREES WITH THE SEARCHLIGHT ON, POINTING DOWN, BEFORE IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT AND FIRE. ROTATIONAL DAMAGE WAS FOUND IN BOTH ENGINE. AN FAA FORM 337, DATED 4/27/82, REVEALED THAT A NIGHTSUN SEARCHLIGHT HAD BEEN INSTALLED AND THE WEIGHT AND BALANCE HAD BEEN ADJUSTED FOR THE INSTALLATION.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: instrument helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,913 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,639 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,291 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: New Ringgold PA at 11:54 pm
- Destination: Allentown PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 113°F (45°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| 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.
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.