Sikorsky H-19D accident near Halifax, Massachusetts, August 3, 1983
On August 3, 1983 at about 11:32 pm local time, a Sikorsky H-19D (helicopter), registered N37799, was substantially damaged in an accident near Halifax, Massachusetts. It was a personal flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1983 · about 11:32 pm local time
- Place
- Halifax, Massachusetts
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky H-19D
- Registration
- N37799 · no longer on the register · serial 15-642
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER ARRIVING AT THE FIELD TO BE SPRAYED, THE PLT INITIATED A DESCENT TO BEGIN AERIAL APPLICATION. AT APRX 40 FT AGL & 50 KTS, THE ENG FAILED. THE PLT ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION, BUT COULD NOT AVOID TELEPHONE WIRES. HE WAS ABLE TO AVOID HITTING A DIKE, BUT IN DOING SO, HE FLARED IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE TAIL SKID & ROTOR IMPACTED THE TERRAIN. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE #1 EXHAUST VALVE HAD FAILED.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,377 hours in all; 1,117 in this make and model; 321 in the last 90 days; 9,210 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,481 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 15, 1983; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wright R-1300-30 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MA02 Hanson MA
- Destination: Halifax MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 245° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N37799 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC83FNA04.