- Date
- March 29, 1987, 13:27 local (23:27 UTC)
- Place
- Kona, HI
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 3 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N90153Bell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 15, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870329007759A
- Case key
- 25551
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
The pilot picked up two of the passengers at a resort hotel and then flew to kailua-Kona airport (koa). After hot refueling the helicopter with the two passengers on board, two more passengers boarded the helicopter and then the flight departed koa. When the flight exited waimanu valley over the beach the pilot observed another company helicopter. After establishing radio comm with the other helicopter the pilot altered his course to the west beyond the shoreline at 200 feet AGL. The westerly course extended about 1/4 mile from the shoreline. The helicopter's engine began to decelerate. The pilot executed an autorotation into the ocean. The helicopter sank, but all of the occupants exited. The pax were not wearing life vests and one pax drowned. The helicopter was not equiped with any of the required flotation devices. The helicopter was not recovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90153
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1610
- Airframe hours
- 11,255
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Kona Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Kona Helicopters, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 24, 1989 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- KOA · Ke-Ahole, HI
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
- 26
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,089 total · 4,089 in this make and model · 301 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 45° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- 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.