- Date
- June 5, 1990, 18:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Houma, LA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N73241Bell 47G3-B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900605019009A
- Case key
- 22987
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
The pilot's failure to maintain rotor RPM and an excessive sink rate.
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 was being landed near an alligator's nest, near a lake. The pilot said that the helicopter failed to respond to collective pitch inputs during the landing. He said he then tried to make a slide-on-landing into the water but the rear portion of the fixed flotation gear impacted a levee, and the helicopter rolled over forward, and settled upside down in the lake. No pre-impact problems were found with the flight controls.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73241
- Reported as
- Bell 47G3-B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2773
- Airframe hours
- 7,719
- Engine
- Lycoming TVO-435-B1A, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Daneco, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 4, 1989 · 15 hours before
- Airport
- NONE
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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 2,900 in this make and model · 4,900 as pilot in command · 155 in the last 90 days · 160 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
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 N73241 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.