- Date
- August 26, 1983, 09:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Labelle, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N5824Bell 47J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830826044469A
- Case key
- 30932
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
While at an altitude of about 150 ft, the eng lost power. The plt initiated an autorotation, but during the landing, the main rotor struck trees & the helicopter was substantially damaged. The plt estimated there was 15 gal of fuel on board during the preflight, but stated that he could not visually check fuel level. After the accident, he found less than minimal fuel & believed the eng stopped due to lack of fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5824
- Reported as
- Bell 47J
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1731
- Airframe hours
- 11,200
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1B, 240 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Clarence L. Davis
- Registered owner
- Don M. Gaertner
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Airport
- runway 22, 2,400 × ft, grass/turf
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
- 40
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,327 total · 15 in this make and model · 6,803 as pilot in command · 61 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FMX, 30 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.