- Date
- May 26, 1991, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sun, LA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N339MCBell 47-D1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910526017319A
- Case key
- 23224
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 total loss of power for undetermined reasons and the failure of the pilot to maintain rotor RPM. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain.
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 pilot had just departed a local fair grounds with two paying passengers on board. At approximately 300 feet, a total loss of engine power was experienced. The pilot initiated a 180 degree autorotation in order to clear the populated area. The available terrain for landing was not level. During the touchdown, rotor RPM decreased due to the difficulty of conducting a slope landing. The main rotor blades severed the tailboom of the helicopter
Aircraft
- Registration
- N339MC
- Reported as
- Bell 47-D1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- T121
- Airframe hours
- 5,468
- Engine
- Franklin 6V335A, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Cook Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Cook Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 6, 1991 · 21 hours before
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
- 40
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,230 total · 397 in this make and model · 3,044 as pilot in command · 112 in the last 90 days · 49 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.