- Date
- September 11, 1990, 10:39 local (14:39 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Pierce, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N96168Hiller OH-23C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900911038949A
- Case key
- 32700
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 due to separation of the packing seal which seals the distribution zone pipe to the inlet manifold, for undetermined reasons resulting in a hard landing.
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 CFI stated that he was teaching low rotor RPM recovery techniques during climb out after takeoff. The student was to take the controls & recover the helicopter to a 4 ft hover. At 30 ft, with the rotor RPM at 2,900, the student took control & opened the throttle but pulled collective. The eng RPM dropped below 2,500. The CFI took the controls, verified that the throttle was opened & lowered collective. During the run-on landing after touchdown, the main rotor blades contacted the tail boom. Exam of the eng by a mechanic with inspection authorization revealed that one of the packing seals which seal the distribution zone pipe to the inlet manifold, separated for undetermined reasons resulting in the partial loss of eng power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N96168
- Reported as
- Hiller OH-23C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 55-4129
- Airframe hours
- 3,742
- Engine
- Franklin 6V4-335-13, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Coastal Aviation
- Registered owner
- Jim Bortnem Ent. Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1990 · 88 hours before
- Airport
- FPR · St. Lucie County Int'L
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
- 50
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 1,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FPR
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 N96168 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.