- Date
- December 18, 1990, 07:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Keanae, HI
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N58240Mcdonnell Douglas 369D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901218055159A
- Case key
- 27080
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
Fuel starvation caused by a loose fuel line 'b' nut, due to improper maintenance; and the failure of the pilot to correctly judge the landing flare during the autorotation.
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 of a helicopter was in cruise climb at 2600 feet 300/400 feet above a waterfall in mountainous terrain when the engine out and low RPM warning horn and light came on. The pilot decided to make a precautionary landing on a flower farm downhill. During the descent he made a series of power changes which revealed a deterioration in available power. The helicopter landed hard on the rear portion of the skids. The main rotors severed the tail boom and rotor system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58240
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 890560D
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pacific Helicopters Inc.
- Departed
- HNM · Hana, HI
- Destination
- 0GG · Kahului, 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
- 32
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 8,100 total · 3,650 in this make and model · 7,900 as pilot in command · 330 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 1 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point -0 °F
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 N58240 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.