- Date
- March 2, 1982, 11:05 local (16:05 UTC)
- Place
- Little Valley, NY
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8690FHughes 500
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820302002899A
- Case key
- 71449
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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
About 10 minutes after takeoff in heavy, wet, blowing snow, the engine lost power. At that time, the helicopter was at about 100 ft AGL. At the first indication of a power loss, the pilot initiated and completed an autorotative landing in an open field. During touchdown, the main rotor blades flexed downward and struck the tail boom. The auto reignition functioned and the engine was operating at the time of landing. An investigation revealed the particle separator had become completely clogged with snow. The pilot did not receive advance warning from the particle separator differential pressure sensor and cockpit warning light system. Therefore, he did not manually release the particle separator bypass door prior to the engine flame-out.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8690F
- Reported as
- Hughes 500
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 165D
- Airframe hours
- 1,829
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 375 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- Evirogas,Inc.
- Registered owner
- Evirogas,Inc.
- Departed
- Ellicottville, NY
- Destination
- Mayville, NY
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 700 in this make and model · 3,782 as pilot in command · 115 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 82 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BFD
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.