The 1998 Sikorsky S-76C owned by NCDOT will be listed for sale during the first quarter of 2015.

15 photos

Dawn Wallace
Staff Writer- Triangle Business Journal

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A Sikorsky helicopter the N.C. Department of Transportation has repeatedly tried to sell without success is heading back to the market at the beginning of the year.

Two rounds of eBay auctions didn’t fetch any buyers. It’s heading to the N.C. Department of Administration’s State Surplus Agency, says NCDOT Communications Director Steve Abbott.

While the eBay listing’s reserve price was $2 million, older Sikorsky S-76C helicopters – including the NCDOT’s 1998 model – are currently listed on the aircraft marketplace Controller for around $4.5 million. The surplus agency has not listed a price for the helicopter yet.

(Click through the pictures on the right to see inside the NCDOT’s chopper.)

“We are still evaluating the best starting price for the listing,” says NCDOA Public Information Officer Christopher Mears. “We plan to list it in the first quarter of 2015.”

The listing is being handled by internal agents, and external entity Executive Controller, Controller’s high-end marketplace for executive jets and the like.

But until then, taxpayers are still paying for the helicopter’s maintenance – $5,200 per hour – and the chopper is still being used, according to Abbott. He says the aircraft was used Wednesday by the Department of Commerce for a “short trip.”

Read: (Unlocked cover story) Corporate jets in the Triangle rebound

Reporter Dawn Wallace covers small business, personalities and Triangle trends.