- Date
- June 22, 1994, 10:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Sarasota, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N520TCHughes 369HS
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940622016249A
- Case key
- 37566
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
Altitude misjudged by the pilot.
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 helicopter flew into water during an aerial photography flight. A passenger in the helicopter was wearing a harness and was secured to the seat belt anchor by a nylon rope. The nylon rope broke and the passenger was ejected. The passenger sustained a fractured and dislocated shoulder.
Factual narrative
On June 22, 1994, about 1045 eastern daylight time, a Hughes 369HS, N520TC, registered to C & C Endeavers, crashed into the Sarasota Bay near Sarasota, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 aerial photography flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter was substantially damaged and the airline transport- rated pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries. One passenger sustained serious injuries. The flight originated about 1015 from the Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport, Sarasota, Florida.
During an aerial photography flight the helicopter was flown into the water. One of the passengers who was in the right rear seat was wearing a harness which was secured to the seatbelt anchor by a nylon rope. After impact with the water the nylon rope broke and the passenger was ejected from the helicopter. The passenger sustained a fractured and dislocated shoulder.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N520TC
- Reported as
- Hughes 369HS
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3405803
- Airframe hours
- 7,926
- Engine
- Allison 250C20B, 365 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Hover Flight, Inc.
- Registered owner
- C & C Endeavers
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 20, 1993 · 36 hours before
- Airport
- SRQ · Sarasota/Bradenton Intl
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
- 48
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,000 total · 500 in this make and model · 10,000 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SRQ, 1 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.