- Date
- June 6, 1986, 09:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sutton, MA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5AZSikorsky S-76B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860606021919A
- Case key
- 30431
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
About 16 min after takeoff, while cruising at 6000' MSL in IMC, the plt transmitted 'Sikorsky 507' (call sign of acft hefrequently flew). The ATC ctlr was talking to another flt & did not respond. About 1 min later, rdo & radar contact werelost & the helicopter crashed while in a steep/hi spd dscnt. An inv showed that drg impact, it was in a 10 deg nose up, 12 deg rgt bank attitude. Witnesses, who heard the helicopter, rprtd the engs were running at hi pwr bfr impact. They described the wx as low overcast with rain, fog & poor vis. Radar data showed that just bfr entering a dscnt, the heli- copter was on a sw hdg at 138 KTS, when its hdg & spd bgn to vary. It slowed to 116 KTS, turned left to 229 deg, then entered a rgt dscndg spiral & crashed. No preimpact part failure/malfunction was fnd. Prev discrepancies noted of N5AZ'SELEC flt instrument sys (EFIS) on 5/5/86 & 5/27/86; cause of 1st was not fnd; 2nd was related to a popped ckt brkr. No known EFIS prblm on acdnt flt, but acft was badly dmgd. Plt had 1525 hrs in S-76A, only 30 hrs in S-76B (with EFIS).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5AZ
- Reported as
- Sikorsky S-76B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 760313
- Airframe hours
- 107
- Engine
- P&W PT6B-36, 960 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- United Technologies
- Registered owner
- 1st N.H. Bank, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · May 30, 1986 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- BED · Bedford, MA
- Destination
- JSD · Stratford, CT
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,555 in this make and model · 98 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 6 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ORH
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.