- Date
- January 27, 1984, 15:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Stuart, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N51DCBell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840127001529A
- Case key
- 30965
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
Witnesses observed the helicopter flying at 100 to 150 ft above the water & about 100 yds offshore. They observed & heard nothing unusual, except they said the helicopter began descending until it impacted the water. The rear doors had been removed for the flt. Both passengers related that a seat cushion was loose and the plt turned in his seat with his arm behind the seat & was trying to secure the cushion when the helicopter suddenly descended into the water. Neither passenger noticed anything unusual in the operation of the helicopter before it crashed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51DC
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2732
- Airframe hours
- 813
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Sundance Helicopter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 14, 1983 · 81 hours before
- Departed
- Stuart, 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 1, Expired
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,200 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB, 27 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.
Other investigations on N51DC · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.