- Date
- June 22, 1987, 12:58 local (17:58 UTC)
- Place
- Peoria Heights, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N15395Bell 47G2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870622021709A
- Case key
- 13603
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
Returning from a powerline patrol flight, the engine surged twice and quit. The pilot executed an autorotation to the only available landing site, a high school football field. On touchdown the blades flexed and severed the tailboom. Investigation revealed less than two quarts of fuel remaining in the fuel system.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15395
- Reported as
- Bell 47G2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2408
- Airframe hours
- 3,730
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1F, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Fostaire Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- D. H. Helicopter, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 19, 1987 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- 3MY · Peoria, IL
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,000 total · 850 in this make and model · 6,500 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIA, 6 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.