# Accident 19980331010389A: Bell UH1B, Indiantown, FL, March 31, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 31, 1998, 09:00 local time
- Place: Indiantown, FL
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Location: 27.0307° N, 80.4590° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.0307&lon=-80.4590&mi=10
- Aircraft: N106CP (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BELL UH1B
- Reported engine: LYC T53L11D
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 8,000 total, 6,900 in this make and model, 79 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA98LA114](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98LA114) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980331010389A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LANDED ON TRAILOR TO REFUEL. ON TAKEOFF LSOT POWER SETTLED ROLLED INTO CANAL. EXHAUST DIFFUSER BLADE SECTION BROKE. (.19) ENGINE SURGE ON LEFT OFF DOLLY. CRASHED ON BANK OF CANAL.  BACKED AWAY FROM LOADING AREA.  STOPPED PARTLY IN CANAL. (.4) ON LIFTOFF FROM THE TRAILER-MOUNTED HELIPAD, THE AGRICULTURAL SPRAY HELICOPTER EXPERIENCED ENGINE SURGING, FOLLOWED SHORTLY BY A COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE, RESULTING IN COLLISION WITH THE BANK OF AN IRRIGATION CANAL. SUBSEQUENT TEARDOWN EXAMINATION OF THE TURBINE ENGINE REVEALED INITIAL FAILURE TO BE HIGH TEMPERATURE TENSILE OVERLOAD FAILURE, (A COMBINATION OF TEMPERATURE AND ROTATIONAL SPEED) OF ONE OR MORE OF THE POWER TURBINE BLADES. THE LIFT-OFF WEIGHT OF THE HELICOPTER WAS ABOUT 169 POUNDS OVER THE CERTIFICATED MAXIMUM LIFT-OFF GROSS WEIGHT.                               (-23) PILOT STATED THAT HE COMPLETED SPRAYING GROVES AND LANDED ON TRAILOR TO REFUEL AND TAKE ON RINSE WATER. HE STARTED THAT ENGINE AND LIFTED 3 TO 4 FEET WHEN ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO SETTLE WHEN IT REGAINED POWER. PILOT ATTEMPTED TO BACK THE HELICOPTER OFF THE TRAILER AND FLEW A SHORT DISTANCE, WHEN THE HELICOPTER AGAIN LOST POWER AND SETTLED  IN A SMALL CLEARING IN THE GROVE. THE ENGINE REGAINED POWER AND THE PILOT CLEARED THE TREES AND ATTEMPTED TO LAND BY A CANAL, BUT THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND THE HELICOPTER CAME DOWN AGAINST A BANK RESTING ON ITS LEFT SIDE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB MIA98LA114](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98LA114), Mar 31, 1998: Southwest Florida SW204 (N106CP), Indiantown, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: A loss of engine power due to turbine blade failure caused by operating the engine in an over temperature and over speed condition. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to observe the…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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