- Date
- July 28, 1987, 17:50 local (21:50 UTC)
- Place
- Nantucket, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N350APAerospatiale AS350D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870728053839I
- Case key
- 30709
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 flight was enroute from Nantucket to hyannis when the pilot heard a loud bang followed by a severe vibration, loss of power to the main rotor system, and a loss of hydraulic pressure. The helicopter made an autorotative landing in water about 25 feet in front of a fishing boat and 8 miles north of Nantucket, Massachusetts, while on a business flight. The helicopter emergency floats were at the factory being repaired. The pilot exited with minor injuries and the helicopter sank into the atlantic ocean. The helicopter was recovered from the water. The engine to the main rotor gearbox driveshaft assembly and a gimbal joint assembly were examined in the NTSB materials laboratory. The majority of the damage occurred in the area of the forward flexible coupling. The internal surfaces of the junction case had experienced severe rotational damage in the vicinity of the gimbal joint pivot points. The damage included deep circumferential channels cut into the case and severe heating/fretting.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N350AP
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale AS350D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1252
- Airframe hours
- 1,280
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS-101-60DA2, 615 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- Jones,Jones & Welch
- Registered owner
- Jones, Jones & Welch
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ACK · Nantucket, MA
- Destination
- HYA · Hyannis, MA
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
- 34
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,249 total · 553 in this make and model · 4,899 as pilot in command · 55 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 315° at 20 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N350AP · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.