- Date
- November 21, 1983, 16:25 local (22:25 UTC)
- Place
- Sweet Springs, MO
- Injuries
- 3 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5778XAerospatiale AS350D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831121058459A
- Case key
- 33504
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 landed hard during a forced landing after a power loss during a ferry flt. The plt stated that at about 200 ft turning on a base leg for landing he heard a loud bang and the engine failed. A witness said he heard the engine die and saw the helicopter descend. The plt said he pulled off rotor RPM to extend his glide and impacted the ground on a sidewalk while in a right turn. The 3 occupants were seriously injured. An examination of the engine by the operator disclosed an intermittent electrical open of the T-4 wiring harness splice; aerospatiale p/n 320570 extension lead and p/n 327637 reduction. Movement of the wire resulted in a reduced indication of the T-4 temperature gauge of approximately 75 degrees at ground operating temperatures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5778X
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale AS350D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1409
- Airframe hours
- 5,601
- Engine
- Lycoming LTV 101-600A2, 521 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Rocky Mountain Helicopters Inc, doing business as [Ems]
- Registered owner
- James B. Burr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · November 18, 1983 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- Columbia, MO
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,499 total · 398 in this make and model · 6,299 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- COLI, 57 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.