- Date
- November 4, 1992, 10:05 local (15:05 UTC)
- Place
- Palm Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N94720Bell 47-G3-B1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921104049159A
- Case key
- 33193
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's inadequate preflight planning. A factor was the pilot's failure to maintain rotor RPM during the autorotation.
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 agricultural pilot stated that he had completed his spraying and had landed, when a grove worker requested a ride over the grove. While maneuvering at 150 feet, the engine lost power. During the autorotation, the rotor RPM decayed and the helicopter landed hard.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N94720
- Reported as
- Bell 47-G3-B1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 67-159115
- Airframe hours
- 6,656
- Engine
- Lycoming TVO-435-D1A, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Colony Helicopters Inc.
- Registered owner
- Colony Helicopters Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 19, 1991 · 40 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
- 51
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,611 total · 113 in this make and model · 2,454 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PBI, 22 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.