- Date
- July 24, 1987, 15:40 local (19:40 UTC)
- Place
- Marston Mills, MA
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6355Bell 47G3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870724044969A
- Case key
- 30700
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 reached an altitude of about 50 feet when a loss of power was experienced. Immediately the pilot set up for an emergency landing and set the helicopter down. The aircraft, however, collided with the ground hard and incurred substantial damage. Conditions were conducive to carburetor icing during glide power, not tkof power. Investigation revealed that fuel was in the fuel tanks. No reason was found that could explain the loss of power to the engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6355
- Reported as
- Bell 47G3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 26079
- Engine
- Franklin 6VS-335-A, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cornelius M.Throwbridge,III
- Registered owner
- Cornelius M. Trowbridge
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 1987 · 70 hours before
- Departed
- Cape Cod, MA
- Airport
- Cape Cod
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
- 49
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,510 total · 3,500 in this make and model · 6,500 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.