47.9196° N, 97.0873° WPlaced by OpenAirDocs: center of Grand Forks, ND, within about 6 miles.Open in the map
Date
April 2, 1978 · 09:57 local
Place
Grand Forks, ND
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N14854
Reported as
Bell 206B
Reported engine
Allison 250C20
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
4,101 total2,486 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days
From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Helicopter damaged during auto-rotation. Engine had quit. Suspect flameout due to heavy snow ingestion.
As the FAA filed it
HELICOPTER DAMAGED DURING AUTO-ROTATION. ENGINE HAD QUIT. SUSPECT FLAMEOUT DUE TO HEAVY SNOW INGESTION.