- Date
- October 29, 1984, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- West Bay, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N49504Aerospatiale SA-315-B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841029060749A
- Case key
- 31311
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 acft crashed following a loss of tail rotor control while on an external load agricultural flt. Witnesses stated that during a landing attempt at a loading area the acft started spinning, the ext load was jettisoned, and the acft hit the ground and rolled over. Investigation revealed that the pitch change drum, pn 3160566-00-009-1, was worn throughout its interior aluminum splines. The pitch control drum had been removed on aug 9, 1984 and the acft manual states that each time the drum is removed it is to be visually checked for wear. Between aug 9 and oct 29 1984, the acft was exposed to 236.9 hrs of operating time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N49504
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale SA-315-B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2474
- Airframe hours
- 6,470
- Engine
- Artouste III B, 562 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 133
- Registered owner
- High Life Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 21
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 12,230 total · 200 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TLH, 57 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.