- Date
- June 21, 1992, 09:35 local (14:35 UTC)
- Place
- Ponca City, OK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N66LRBell 206L-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920621021279A
- Case key
- 18520
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 main rotor RPM. A factor was the contaminated fuel.
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 was maneuvering his helicopter at a slow airspeed at approximately 50 to 100 feet AGL when a loss of power occurred. He initiated an autorotation to an open field. The main rotor RPM was low and a hard landing occurred. The main rotor blades flexed downward striking the tailboom which separated from the fuselage. Examination of the fuel system revealed organic matter had contaminated the fuel supply.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N66LR
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 51538
- Airframe hours
- 195
- Engine
- Allison 250-C30P, 650 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Petroleum Investors
- Registered owner
- Petroleum Investors
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 13, 1992 · 92 hours before
- Destination
- 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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,700 total · 180 in this make and model · 141 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PNC, 8 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.