- Date
- September 3, 1989, 17:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Cayey, PR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N37870Bell 47G-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890903033409A
- Case key
- 32495
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Loss of engine power for an unknown reason. A factor related to the accident was: the presence of trees in the emergency landing area.
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 pvt plt had a single eng land rating & was training as a student for a helicopter rating. While on a local flt at about 300 ft AGL, he noted a decrease in rotor RPM. He rprtd that he tried to increase the RPM by advancing the throttle, but there was no response. Subsequently, the plt landed the helicopter in trees, when he was unable to reach a clearing. No reason was found for the rprtd loss of power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N37870
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 47-1965-3
- Airframe hours
- 1,374
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Martinez,Juan
- Registered owner
- Juan F Martinez
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 15, 1989 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- Carolina, PR
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 179 total · 57 in this make and model · 83 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SJU, 27 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 N37870 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.