- Date
- February 20, 2000, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Delray, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2LNAerospatiale SA341G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000220005299A
- Case key
- 48683
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
a collision with a fence while at a hover, which resulted in the helicopter rolling over.
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 had approached the field from the west, and came to a stop about halfway into the field, about 6 to 8 feet above the ground, turned 90 degrees to the north, stopped, and started a turn to the west. The helicopter hesitated to turn, started to turn east, drifted north, hooked a barred wire fence with the right side skid, and lost control.
Factual narrative
On February 20, 2000, about 1130 eastern standard time, an Aerospatiale SA341G helicopter, N2LN, owned by a private individual impacted with the ground while hovering in an open field near Delray, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The helicopter was substantially damaged. The commercial-rated pilot reported no injuries. The flight had originated from the Willis Gliderport, Boynton Beach, Florida, at an unknown time.
According to the pilot he had approached the field from the west, and came to a stop about halfway into the field, "...6 to 8 above [the] ground...turned 90 degrees to the north stopped...looked west...started a turn into the west...at this time helicopter hesitated to turn and then started to turn east...I believe that I drifted north and didn't realize that there was a barbed wire fence, there I must have hooked right side into fence and lost control."
The FAA inspector's statement stated, "...the pilot...explained that while performing a low hover, he turned the Gazelle 90 degrees to the north and lost control of the aircraft which subsequently caught a landing skid into a barbed wire cattle fence...the main rotor blades contact the ground and were destroyed...no evidence of fire or leakage of fuel or other fluids observed...."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2LN
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale SA341G
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1310
- Airframe hours
- 1,810
- Engine
- Turbomeca ASTAZOU IIIA, 590 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Joe Brito, doing business as Ag Copter Sales
- Registered owner
- Hgb LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1999 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- 3X1 · Delray Beach, FL
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,400 total · 20 in this make and model · 24 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.