- Date
- September 15, 1991, 18:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Laurie, MO
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7768Bell-K Copter 47D1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910915039929A
- Case key
- 14919
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Poor judgement of the pilot, due to impairment from consumption of alcoholic beverage before flight, his intentional buzzing, and his inadequate visual lookout (failure to see-and-avoid power lines).
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
The pilot was observed to be consuming beer with a group of people before the flight. He and 2 others of the group were seen to go the helicopter, board it and take off. A witness on a highway about 5 1/2 miles south of the departure point observed a helicopter flying near treetop level toward her car. She said the helicopter then turned toward a lake and disappeared from her sight. Two witnesses observed the helicopter strike powerline cables, then crash into the lake. The wires were estimate to be about 60 to 75 ft above the water. Toxicology tests for alcohol revealed the pilot and 1 passenger had blood/alcohol levels of 0.161% and 0.190%, respectively. Their urine had alcohol levels of 0.155 and 0.221%. The other passenger had a urine/alcohol level of 0.204%.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7768
- Reported as
- Bell-K Copter 47D1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- K9124
- Engine
- Franklin 6V-335-A, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Peter G. Eeles
- Registered owner
- Peter G. Eeles
- Departed
- Laurie, MO
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
- 37
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,753 total · 979 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7768 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.