- Date
- October 14, 1987, 15:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Trenton, NJ
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N16736Bell 206L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871014059649A
- Case key
- 35978
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, and the pilot's poor aircraft handling during the autorotation.
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 pilot and two mechanics were on a maintenance test flight, operating at about 300 to 400 feet above the ground. They had started to track the rotor blades at 130 to 140 mph when they felt a sudden left yaw, and the 'engine out' light and audio came on. The pilot performed an autorotation into an open field. When the tailskids touched down, the main rotor blades contacted and severed the tail boom. The engine was run-up satisfactorily. The fuel system was disassembled and inspected; there was no indication of contamination or obstruction/blockage. Investigators drained 10 gallons of fuel from the helicopter's fuel tanks, including one gallon of 'unuseable' fuel. According to the manufacturer, this is considered a low level of fuel and the pilot should have been planning to land as soon as practical.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16736
- Reported as
- Bell 206L
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 45075
- Airframe hours
- 3,572
- Engine
- Allison 250-C2U R/2, 500 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Allison Gas Turbine Division
- Registered owner
- Ronson Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · July 23, 1987 · 59 hours before
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,682 total · 2,813 in this make and model · 5,322 as pilot in command · 73 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 45° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.