- Date
- April 26, 1985, 14:23 local (19:23 UTC)
- Place
- New York, NY
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 4 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N49505Aerospatiale SA360C Dauphin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- FAA report
- 19850426077939A
- Case key
- 15831
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
At laguardia arpt, wnd was fm 320 deg at 16 gstg 22 KTS. PIC rprtd wnd at heliport (on west bank of east RVR) was fm sw. Obstacles were located along west edge of heliport. PIC rprtd he made pwr check, then bgn rolling takeoff with rgt qtrg hdwnd. As acft was climbing (aprx 5' AGL) ovr east edge of heliport, PIC noted a 'popping' sound, loss of eng pwr & mainrotor RPM, rise in EGT. Acft bgn settling & plt tried deploying emerg floats, but didn't have time. Acft impacted water,rolled ovr & sank. One pax did not egress & drowned with his seat belt still fastened. Investigation revealed the eng had errosion of 1st stage compressor blades, contamination on blades/compressor housing & a low fuel flow adjustment of the fuel control unit. There was evidence of eng surge/compressor stall. Density alt was 1600'. Four of 5 pax rprtd theydid not receive intruction on floatation devices/seat belts & they were not shown the briefing cards. Aerospatiale svc bulletin for improved type 343 seat belt buckles (to prevent blockage or failure to unlock) was not complied with.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N49505
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale SA360C Dauphin (SA360C DAU)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1006
- Airframe hours
- 4,051
- Engine
- Turbomeca ASTAZOU-XVIII, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- New York Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 30, 1985 · 85 hours before
- Destination
- JFK · New York, NY
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 6N5 · E34th Strett Heliport
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, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,445 total · 163 in this make and model · 4,000 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 39 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 16 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LGA, 7 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.