- Date
- April 25, 1986, 17:50 local (22:50 UTC)
- Place
- Miami Shores, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N71FWBell 206-L-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860425018819A
- Case key
- 31612
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 plt stated that he experienced generator failure upon departure from key west & elected to continue his flt to opa-locka, FL, making two stops enroute. He noted that his battery was dead after passing ocean reef, landed at watson island & then took off enroute to opa locka when he experienced a loss of power, autorotated to a seawall, landed hard, collapsed the skids & the main rotor severed the tail boom. The eng was removed from the acft & placed in a test cell where it was run with no discrepancies noted. Further investigation revealed that the left forward fuel tank check valve was loose allowing air to be sucked into the fuel system causing the power loss experienced by the plt. The emergency procedures section of the bell 206 L-3 flight manual states if either of the boost pumps fail or the generator fails you are to land as soon as practical.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N71FW
- Reported as
- Bell 206-L-3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 51155
- Airframe hours
- 90
- Engine
- Allison 250-C30P, 650 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Marine R. Corporation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1985 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- Watson Island, FL
- Destination
- OPF · Opa Locka, FL
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,505 total · 923 in this make and model · 3,315 as pilot in command · 67 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 90° at 7 knots, gusting 7
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MIA, 5 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.