Mbb BO-105CB-4 accident near Tuckerton, New Jersey, September 20, 1989
On September 20, 1989 at about 3:36 pm local time, a Mbb BO-105CB-4 (helicopter), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N5353V, was destroyed in an accident near Tuckerton, New Jersey. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S DELAY IN REMEDIAL ACTION BY DELAYING THE PULL-UP FROM A DESCENDING MANEUVER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1989 · about 3:36 pm local time
- Place
- Tuckerton, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mbb BO-105CB-4, amateur-built
- Registration
- N5353V · registry record · serial S-709
- 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 ENTERED A SHALLOW CLIMB & STEEP TURN AT LOW ALTITUDE. ALTHOUGH THE PILOT INITIATED A RECOVERY, THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE GROUND BEFORE HE RECOVERED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO PRE-EXISTING FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WITH THE ENGINE OR AIRFRAME. A PERFORMANCE STUDY SHOWED THE MANEUVER HAD A MAXIMUM BANK OF 98 DEGREES & A MAXIMUM ALTITUDE OF 75 FEET AGL. RECOVERY WAS NOT INITIATED UNTIL .5 SECONDS AFTER THE APEX OF THE MANEUVER.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,242 hours in all; 4,237 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,512 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C208 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Mbb Helicopter CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: Tuckerton NJ at 3:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from ACY, 12 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.
Other NTSB records under N5353V 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.