- Date
- December 20, 1990, 19:02 local (Dec 21, 1990, 00:02 UTC)
- Place
- St. Marks, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N37ANBell 206 B3
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 32763
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 maintain safe altitude while descending over a coastline, at night, in visual meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot in command's failure to obtain a full weather briefing prior to departure resulting in his encounter with instrument meteorological conditions at his destination.
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
Pilot did not received full weather briefing prior to departure on cross country flight. On arrival at dest flight encountered instrument meteorolgical conditions, as had been forecast. While descending in visual meteorological conditions, at night, over coastline to get below low overcast layer of clouds, pilot lost outside visual reference and allowed the helicopter to descend and crash into the water. No mechanical failures of the helicopter or engine were noted after the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N37AN
- Reported as
- Bell 206 B3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3503
- Airframe hours
- 3,511
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Florida Game And Fresh Water
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 17, 1990 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- LAL · Lakeland, FL
- Destination
- TLH · Tallahassee, FL
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,786 total · 920 in this make and model · 2,593 as pilot in command · 95 in the last 90 days · 44 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TLH, 23 nm away