- Date
- March 20, 1989, 13:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Saipan, Sark
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7470FHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890320004219A
- Case key
- 26354
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
Failure of maintenance personnel to assure the helicopter was serviced with the proper grade of fuel. A factor realated to the accident was: the lack of a suitable landing area, which resulted in having to ditch the helicopter in the water.
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 newly purchased helicopter was transported to Saipan by ship in a container. After unloading, the pilot, a mechanic and a mechanic's helper reassembled it on the dock. The helper was sent to buy some fuel for the helicopter, so it could be flown from the dock to the company base at the airport. The company had been operating turbine powered helicopters only; this was its first piston powered model. The helper went to the fuel facility and bought 10 gallons of jet-a fuel, which he used to service the helicopter. The pilot started the helicopter, did a run-up and took off for a 3 mile flight to the airport. However, the engine lost power and the pilot made an autorotation to a submerged reef in about 3 to 4 feet of water.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7470F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 170553
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Pacific Island Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 9,541 total · 550 in this make and model · 9,145 as pilot in command · 271 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PGSN, 3 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.