- Date
- November 17, 1988, 13:19 local (19:19 UTC)
- Place
- Gulf-Of-Mexico (Gulf of Mexico)
- Injuries
- 3 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2780WBell 206L-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881117051029A
- Case key
- 22816
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
Engine failure for undetermined reasons and the pilot misjudging his altitude during the flare resulting in a hard landing.
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.
Loss of engine power(total) - mech failure/malf
Turboshaft engine - failure,totalCause
Forced landing
Autorotation - initiated
Hard landing
Weather condition - high windFactor
Weather condition - gustsFactor
Flare - improperFactor
Terrain condition - water,roughFactor
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2780W
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 45332
- Airframe hours
- 3,310
- Engine
- Allison 250-C28, 500 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Houston Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 27, 1988 · 66 hours before
- Departed
- Gulf-Of-Mexico, OF
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
N2780WRegistration cancelled Apr 18, 1991 · Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1Airframe modelBell Helicopter Textron 206L-1
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 12,151 total · 1,151 in this make and model · 12,000 as pilot in command · 151 in the last 90 days · 59 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.