- Date
- September 4, 1987, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- New Port Richey, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N73DBBell 47G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870904050259A
- Case key
- 31959
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 was practicing an autorotative lndg for a planned CFI checkride. Drg the lndg, the helicopter touched down on the aft portion of the skids, then pitched forward. As it pitched forward, the plt applied full aft cyclic & the main rotor blades contacted the tail boom & severed it.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73DB
- Reported as
- Bell 47G
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1277
- Airframe hours
- 5,976
- Engine
- Franklin 6V-335-A, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- South Wind Aviation
- Registered owner
- Southwind Aviation, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 17, 1987 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- PIE · St Petersburg, FL
- Airport
- X41 · West Pasco, runway 26, 5,000 × 48 ft, asphalt
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 230 total · 122 in this make and model · 146 as pilot in command · 58 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIE, 17 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 N73DB · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.