- Date
- August 27, 1990
- Place
- Stockton, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N43921Texas Helicopter M47A Wasp
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900827037099A
- Case key
- 26568
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 misjudged the altitude during the flare/touchdown phase of the autorotation. Factors relating to this accident are failure of the right magneto.
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 landed the helicopter and it was reloaded with chemicals for another agricultural spraying flight. Shortly after departing the load site, the pilot heard a loud sound enamate from the engine area followed by a sudden loss of power and vibration. The pilot immediately executed an autorotation to the open area, but misjudged the flare altitude and experienced a hard landing which caused substantial damage to the helicopter. The investigation revealed that the right magneto contact points failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N43921
- Reported as
- Texas Helicopter M47A Wasp
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 76-003
- Airframe hours
- 2,311
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1F, 265 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Ag Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 2, 1990 · 48 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
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total · 600 in this make and model · 2,200 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 95 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SCK, 10 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.
Other investigations on N43921 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.