- Date
- April 10, 1994
- Place
- Pacific Ocean (Pacific Ocean)
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N60718Schweizer 300C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940410012689A
- Case key
- 28728
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 low altitude of the aircraft when the engine lost power and the pilot's misjudgement of the flare point during the autorotation. Factors in the accident were the loss of engine power and the sunglare.
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 reported that he was 35 minutes into the fish-spotting flight when he 'heard something wrong with the engine.' He then turned his helicopter in the direction of his ship and began a precautionary approach to the water. The pilot stated that engine performance continued to deteriorate during the descent. At an altitude between 350 and 400 feet at an airspeed of 50-to- 60 knots, the engine failed completely. The pilot then initiated an autorotation and turned left into the wind. Approximately 30 seconds after the first indication of an engine problem, the pilot autorotated into the water and landed hard. The pilot stated that he landed hard because of the 'high density altitude conditions, no wind conditions, low altitude where the engine actually failed and quit.' The pilot also stated that the sun's reflection on the water 'created some illusions which made it difficult to visually establish the distance from the water, the speed, and the rate of descent.' The nature of the engine problem was not reported by the operator.
Factual narrative
On April 10, 1994, at 0830 local ship time, a Schweizer 300C helicopter, N60718, sustained substantial damage during an autorotative forced water landing in international waters near Chuuk Island in the Federated States of Micronesia. The helicopter was owned by Trans Global Products, Inc., and was operated by the Fong Seong Fishing Group. The pilot and his observer were on an aerial observation flight under 14 CFR Part 91 of Federal Aviation Regulations. Visual meteorological conditions were prevalent at the time and no flight plan had been filed for the operation. Neither the certificated commercial pilot nor his observer were injured. The flight originated from the deck of the ship Fong Seong No. 777 at 0755 on the day of the mishap as a local fish spotting mission.
In a written statement, the pilot reported that he was 35 minutes into the flight at an altitude of 1,600 msl and 70 knots airspeed when he "heard something wrong with the engine." He then turned his helicopter in the direction of his ship and began an approach to the water. The pilot radioed his mechanic on board the ship to inform him of the emergency. At the same time, the observer radioed the ship's captain giving him the same information. The pilot stated that the engine performance continued to deteriorate during the descent.
At an altitude between 350 and 400 feet at an airspeed of 50-to- 60 knots, the engine failed completely and the nose of the helicopter yawed left. At that point in the descent, the pilot initiated an autorotation and turned left into the wind. Approximately 30 seconds after the first indication of an engine problem, the pilot autorotated into the water and touched down hard.
The pilot stated that he landed hard because of the "high density altitude conditions, no wind conditions, low altitude where the engine actually failed and quit." The pilot also stated that the sun's reflection on the water "created some illusions which made it difficult to visually establish the distance from the water, the speed, and the rate of descent."
The nature of the engine problem was not reported by the operator.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N60718
- Reported as
- Schweizer 300C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1618
- Airframe hours
- 531
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Fong Seong Fishing Group
- Registered owner
- Trans Global Products, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 3, 1994 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Fishing Vessel, PO
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
- 24
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 526 total · 243 in this make and model · 509 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.