- Date
- January 31, 1991, 06:05 local (11:05 UTC)
- Place
- Miami, FL
- Injuries
- 3 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N341WCAerospatiale SA-341G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910131001319A
- Case key
- 32744
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
The pilot in command's failure to initiate an autorotation in timely manner following loss of engine power for undetermined reasons resulting in loss of rotor RPM and an uncontrolled descent and impact with the terrain.
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
Rear seat passenger rpt hearing several loud bangs in rapid succession in area of engine shortly after t/o while the acft was at 200 feet and 90 knots. Vibration from the main rotor blades was felt shortly after this. The plt initiated a turn back to t/o area. In the turn the plt noticed the low rotor speed warning light was on but the low rotor warning horn was not heard. The acft was descending uncontrollably. The plt did not initiate an autorotation nor did he activate the floats. The acft impacted the water at a high rate of descent and came to rest upright. After the accident the low rotor warning horn was found in the off position. Examination of the helicopter and engine revealed no evidence which could be considered casual to the loss of engine power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N341WC
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale SA-341G
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1188
- Airframe hours
- 2,291
- Engine
- Turbomeca ASTAZOU III A, 590 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Pujol, Jean, doing business as French Aircraft Agency, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 25, 1991 · 11 hours before
- Destination
- APF · Naples, FL
- Airport
- X48 · Miami Heliport
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,669 total · 12 in this make and model · 1,495 as pilot in command · 275 in the last 90 days · 44 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MIA, 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.