- Date
- October 24, 1987, 14:06 local (18:06 UTC)
- Place
- Key Colony Bch., FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N73201Bell 47J-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 27, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871024060599A
- Case key
- 32078
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 did not check the fuel system for contaminates after refueling but an eighteen minute flt after refueling was uneventful. He then landed the helicopter, remained on the ground aprx 20 minutes, performed a walk around insp, again without checking the fuel system, then departed on a sightseeing flt along the shoreline. While in cruise flt at aprx 500 ft the eng quit. An autorotative landing in the water was performed with no damage to the helicopter but the plt then rolled it to the rt to stop the rotation of the blades to exit from acft. The helicopter was substantially damaged. According to a mechanic the eng quit due to water and fuel contamination.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73201
- Reported as
- Bell 47J-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1849
- Airframe hours
- 12,875
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Michaelson, Harlyn
- Registered owner
- Ozark Mountain Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 5, 1987 · 55 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,840 total · 41 in this make and model · 1,565 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EYW, 42 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.