- Date
- October 18, 1983, 09:44 local (13:44 UTC)
- Place
- Hudson, NH
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5011NBell 206B III
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831018054779A
- Case key
- 35289
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 plt was on a flt to pick up film for a tv station. While en route, he made a mayday call to the manchester control tower. According to witnesses, the acft was proceeding in a northerly direction at about 700 to 1000 ft AGL when they heard a 'muffled pop.' The helicopter then entered a descent & banked left toward an open area adjacent to an apartment complex. Several witnesses stated they observed the main rotor blades slowing down during the descent. Subsequently, the acft crash landed in a confined area, came to rest aprx 120 ft from the initial impact point & burned. None of the witnesses saw smoke coming from the helicopter before it crashed. Disassembly to the eng revealed that a 3rd stage turbine wheel blade had failed from fatigue.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5011N
- Reported as
- Bell 206B III
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2590
- Airframe hours
- 1,672
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- E.W. Wiggins Airways, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Piper East , Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 9, 1983 · 88 hours before
- Departed
- OWD · Norwood, MA
- Destination
- MHT · Manchester, NH
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
- 31
- Certificates
- Military, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,646 total · 1,255 in this make and model · 2,397 as pilot in command · 144 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MHT, 10 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.