- Date
- January 3, 1988, 11:25 local (19:25 UTC)
- Place
- Fontana, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N175KBell 47D1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880103000069A
- Case key
- 25931
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
None submitted
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.
Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction
Rotor system,tail rotor blade - separationFactor
Rotor system,tail rotor hub - fatigueCause
Forced landing
Directional control - not maintainedFactor
Lack of total experience in type of aircraftFactor
In flight collision with terrain/water
Terrain condition - rough/unevenFactor
Analysis
During a solo instructional flight, the plt reported that he heard a loud bang. The acft began an uncontrolled spinning descent to the right and collided with the terrain. A tail rotor blade was found to have separated from the tail rotor. A metallurgical examination of the tail rotor yoke revealed that the yoke failed due to high cycle fatigue.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N175K
- Reported as
- Bell 47D1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 56
- Airframe hours
- 8,239
- Engine
- Franklin 6V335-A, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lonnie Reid
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 16, 1987 · 72 hours before
- Departed
- CNO · Chino, CA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 34 total · 34 in this make and model · 7 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBD, 20 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.