# Accident 20160218017839A: Bell 206B, Honolulu, HI, February 18, 2016

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 18, 2016, 10:30 local time
- Place: Honolulu, HI
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: JGRJ
- Location: 21.3667° N, 157.9403° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=21.3667&lon=-157.9403&mi=10
- Aircraft: N80918, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N80918-2019-02-25) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206B (registry code 1181511, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250-C20B (registry code 03081, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c20b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- Reported engine: ALLISON 250-C20B
- People aboard: 5
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 4
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 553 total, 26 in this make and model, 126 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR16FA072](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR16FA072) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160218017839A

## Narrative

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

ON FEBRUARY 18, 2016, ABOUT 1020 HAWAIIAN ALEUTAIN STANDARD TIME, A BELL 206B, N80918, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT IMPACTED WATER DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING NEAR HONOLULU, HAWAII. THE HELICOPTER WAS REGISTERED TO A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL AND OPERATED BY GENESIS HELICOPTERS, HONOLULU, UNDER PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91.  THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND 2 PASSENGERS SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES, 1 PASSENGER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES AND 1 PASSENGER WAS FATAL.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND A COMPANY FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT.  THE AIR TOUR FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (HNL), HONOLULU ABOUT 0935.

THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT OVER FORD ISLAND, HE FELT A VIBRATION FOLLOWED BY A GRINDING NOISE.  SHORTLY AFTER, THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD BANG AND SCANNED THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND SAW THAT THE ENGINE INSTRUMENTS INDICATED THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING, HOWEVER, THE ROTOR RPM DECREASING.  THE PILOT INITIATED AN AUTO ROTATION TO A GRASSY AREA NEAR THE CONTEMPLATION CIRCLE AT WORLD WAR II VALOR IN THE PACIFIC NATIONAL MONUMENT.  AS THE PILOT NEARED HIS INTENDED LANDING AREA, HE OBSERVED MULTIPLE PEOPLE AND SLOWED THE HELICOPTER AND INITIATED A LEFT PEDAL TURN.  SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER DESCENDED RAPIDLY INTO THE WATER, ABOUT 20 FEET FROM THE SHORELINE.

## 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 WPR16FA072](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR16FA072), Feb 18, 2016: Bell 206B (N80918), Honolulu, HI, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The in-flight failure of the engine-to-transmission drive shaft due to improper maintenance, which resulted in low main rotor rpm and a subsequent hard landing to water.

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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