- Date
- April 11, 1999, 16:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Sarasota, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N163BKMbb BK 117 A-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990411003549A
- Case key
- 46121
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 a visual lookout while maneuvering in a hover resulting in the tail rotor colliding with a building.
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
While maneuvering for takeoff the tail rotor collided with a building resulting in damage to the helicopter and building.
Factual narrative
On April 11, 1999, about 1645 eastern daylight time, a MBB BK 117 A-3, N163BK, registered to and operated by Rocky Mountain Holdings, LLC, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 EMS positioning flight, collided with a building while hovering in preparation for takeoff at Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport, Sarasota, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the commercial-rated pilot and two medical personnel flightcrew members were not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The pilot stated they were on an EMS flight to Charlotte County Airport, Punta Gorda, Florida, to pick up a patient. He and the other flightcrew members boarded the helicopter and he lifted it into a hover facing south. He called the FAA Sarasota Control Tower for departure clearance and the controller asked him to hold for landing traffic. The controller then asked if he could see the landing traffic. He moved the helicopter to the east, looking for the traffic. He then heard and felt a "thud" followed a second later by three more "thuds". It appears the helicopter had drifted back and the tail rotor had contacted the hangar. He maneuvered the helicopter away from a culvert and landed next to his original parking spot. After exiting the helicopter, he noticed the tail rotor was damaged along with the landing gear. The hangar also had a 3-foot by 3-foot hole in it.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N163BK
- Reported as
- Mbb BK 117 A-3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 7063
- Airframe hours
- 4,952
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS-101-650B1, 600 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Rocky Mountain Holdings LLC
- Registered owner
- Debis Financial Services, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- AAIP · April 11, 1999 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- SRQ · Sarasota, FL
- Destination
- PGD · Punta Gorda, FL
- Airport
- SRQ · Sarasota/Bradenton
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,122 total · 120 in this make and model · 2,452 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 72 °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.