- Date
- August 4, 1985, 01:30 local (05:30 UTC)
- Place
- Chamblee, GA
- Injuries
- 6 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N299FEAerospatiale AS-355F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850804036039A
- Case key
- 6630
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Reportedly, the plt & passengers had gone to a local establishment, where the entire party had consumed an unspecified amount of alcoholic beverages. One passenger reported that after arriving at the arpt, the plt made a walk-around inspection of the helicopter, & before taking off, he performed an eng run-up. Shortly after the acft had departed, the left chip detector light illuminated & the plt proceeded to return to the arpt. Almost immediately, the right chip detector light also illuminated, then both engs lost power. The plt entered an autorotation, but while avoiding power lines, available lift was expended & the helicopter landed hard. The occupants received serious back injuries during the landing. An investigation revealed that the helicopter had been parked outside the hanger for continuing repairs & the oil supply lines to the sensors had been disconnected. Subsequently, oil was lost thru the disconnected lines & both engs had failed. A check of the plt's blood showed an alcohol lvl of 0.04%
Aircraft
- Registration
- N299FE
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale AS-355F
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 5152
- Airframe hours
- 870
- Engine
- Allison 250-C2OF, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Metro Ambulance Service,Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 24, 1985 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- PDK · Chamblee, GA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 30
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,900 total · 14 in this make and model · 1,720 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FTY, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.