- Date
- January 25, 1984, 03:30 local (09:30 UTC)
- Place
- Cedar Hill, TX
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3904NBell 206L-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840125001359A
- Case key
- 21249
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
Purpose of the flt was to check for oil leaks after maintenance was performed. Shortly after takeoff, at an alt of 50 to 100 ft AGL, the plt noticed a '2 per rev vibration' and decided to land in a field. When aprx 5 ft AGL the plt felt what he described as a CG shift and the right skid contacted the ground. Collective was then lowered, however, control of the helicopter was lost and a poll over resulted. The plt stated the vibration was not severe enough to have resulted in the loss of control. Investigation revealed that beside the 2 front seat occupants a 226 lb passenger was in the right center (rear facing) seat. The passenger stated he could not see much from the center seat and just prior to the skid contact, he moved to the right rear (forward facing) seat. This would account for the rearward CG shift.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3904N
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 45605
- Airframe hours
- 379
- Engine
- Allison 250-C28B, 435 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Clarence J Lott, doing business as Executive Air Lift
- Registered owner
- Quality Aircraft Sales
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 25, 1984 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- Cedar Hill, TX
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,668 total · 3,975 in this make and model · 5,410 as pilot in command · 124 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 0° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F
- Observed at
- DAL
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 N3904N · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.