- Date
- June 27, 1983, 09:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lafayette, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3904LBell 206L-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830627027109A
- Case key
- 20948
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
The helicopter made a hard precautionary landing after the plt noted the rotor RPM and N2 would bleed off when collective pitch was increased to 80 percent torque. The plt returned to the arpt and elected to autorotate instead of landing with power available. The autorotation resulted in a hard landing. The power loss was found to be caused by failure of the full control lever to open fully. This was the result of a mechanic overtighting the throttle linkage when a plt complained of throttle creeping open. This creeping is considered normal on a bell 206L-1 according to the operator.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3904L
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 45597
- Airframe hours
- 2,702
- Engine
- Allison 250C-28, 435 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Petroleum Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · June 24, 1983 · 1 hours before
- Destination
- High Island, GM
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- LFT · Municipal
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,993 total · 1,274 in this make and model · 2,635 as pilot in command · 121 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LFT
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.