- Date
- May 9, 1986, 10:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Panama City, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1159WBell 47G-3B-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860509016679A
- Case key
- 31626
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 approaching to land during a sightseeing flt a loss of eng pwr was experienced and an autorotation was made 70 ft short of the helipad. During touchdown, the main rotor struck and severed the tail boom. The plt stated after touchdown the eng continued to operate at idle speed. Post accident tests of the eng to a pwr setting higher than the plt had selected at the time of failure revealed no evidence of precrash mechanical failure or malfunction. A check of the carburetor icing probability chart revealed the flight was made under conditions conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide pwr and visible carburetor icing at rated pwr. The plt stated he did not use carburetor heat before or after the loss of eng pwr.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1159W
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-3B-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2941
- Airframe hours
- 5,344
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1F, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Max J.Short, doing business as International Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 22, 1985 · 59 hours before
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
- 22
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,246 total · 1,905 in this make and model · 2,100 as pilot in command · 54 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PEN, 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.
Other investigations on N1159W · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.