- Date
- May 29, 1982, 18:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Marathon, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N73268Bell 47J-2A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 29, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820529042539A
- Case key
- 71572
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 an intermittent vibration was felt during the magneto check before takeoff. During a second magneto check at high power, the nose of the helicopter came up, a loud explosive noise was heard, and a fire erupted near the left fuel tank. The pilot and passenger abandoned the helicopter uninjured, but it was destroyed. This was the first flight after maintenance had been completed. However, an examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact failures. A witness stated that when the pilot attempted to takeoff, the rear end of the right skid caught under a boardwalk, the helicopter rolled or banked, and the main rotor struck the tail boom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73268
- Reported as
- Bell 47J-2A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1871
- Airframe hours
- 3,181
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540, 240 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Alex Butchkosky
- Registered owner
- Dingman Allison
- Departed
- MTH · Marathon, FL
- Destination
- MTH · Marathon, FL
- Airport
- MTH · Marathon
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,613 total · 270 in this make and model · 37 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 185 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EYWW, 40 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.