# Incident 19990430004279I: Bell 206L1, Coconut Grove, FL, April 30, 1999 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: April 30, 1999, 15:39 local time - Place: Coconut Grove, FL - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Normal Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Operator: KUVA - Location: 25.7126° N, 80.2570° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Coconut Grove, FL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=25.7126&lon=-80.2570&mi=10 - Aircraft: N165BH, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N165BH-2019-01-28) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 (registry code 1182107, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-helicopter-textron-206l-1) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Allison 250-C30P (registry code 03099, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c30p) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BELL 206L1 - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 3,985 total, 860 in this make and model, 146 in the last 90 days - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990430004279I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON APRIL 30, 1999, ABOUT 1539 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A BELL 206L-1 HELICOPTER, N265BH, REGISTERED TO BISCAYNE HELICOPTER INC., WAS FORCED TO LAND IN THE WATERS OF BISCAYNE BAY AFTER A TAIL ROTOR FAILURE, NEAR COCONUT GROVE, FLORIDA, WHILE ON A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 BUSINESS FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WERE REPORTED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE HELICOPTER RECIEVED MINOR DAMAGE. THE COMMERCIAL-RATED PILOT, ONE PASSENGER REPORTED NO INJURIES. THE FLIGHT HAD ORIGINATED AT 1430, THE SAME DAY, FROM KENDALL-TAMIAMI AIRPORT, FLORIDA. THE HELICOPTER WAS LEASED TO CHANNEL 10 NEWS, A MIAMI-BASED TELEVISION STATION, AND WAS BEING USED BY THE TELEVISION STATION WHEN HTE TAIL ROTOR FAILURE, AND FORCED LANDING OCCURED. THE PILOT TOLD THE NTSB THAT THEY WERE AT 500 FEET MSL (MEAN SEA LEVEL), AT 100 KNOTS, AND HEADING 190 DEGREES ALONG THE SHORELINE, WHEN HE FELT A "VIOLENT HIGH FREQUENCY BUZZ IN THE PEDALS [THAT] LASTED 3 SECONDS.) HE THEN HEARD A "BOOM" NOISE, AND THE HELICOPTER YAWED RIGHT. HE ENTERED AUTOROTATION WITH THE THROTTLE OPEN, ADJUSTED THE AIRSPEED AND POWER. THE PASSENGER GOT A RADIO CALL OUT, THE PILOT FLARED AT 50-75 FEET, AT A SPEED OF 40 TO 50 KNOTS INDICATED AT AIRSPEED. AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 30 FEET ABOVE THE WATER, THE PILOT DEPLOYED THE FLOATS. ABOUT 15 FEET HE PULLED PITCH, AND THEN ROLLED ON ITS LEFT SIDE BEFORE THE OCCUPANTS COULD EXIT. EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER REVEALED THAT A BOLT AND NUT SEPERATED FROM THE FORWARD SHORT SHAFT, RESULTING IN THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE SHAFT SEPARATING FROM THE ENGINE, CAUSING THE TAIL ROTOR TO STOP ROTATING. ## Other reports on N165BH (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20150920017919A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150920017919A), Sep 20, 2015: Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 (N165BH), Thomaston, GA, Substantial damage. On September 20, 2015, about 1900 eastern daylight time, Bell 206L-1, N165BH, was destroyed during collision with a ground vehicle and terrain following a… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.