- Date
- May 12, 1988, 15:51 local (19:51 UTC)
- Place
- Farmingdale, NY
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N39071Bell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880512031609A
- Case key
- 36001
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 bell 206B was being flown on a helicopter rating ride with the PIC in the right seat and an FAA inspector in the left seat. The oral was satisfactory and the flight check progressed to autorotations. The first one was long, the second short. On the third one, which was also short, the FAA inspector commanded a go-around. The helicopter continued to descend, and the FAA inspector tried to roll on the throttle but it would not move. A low rotor RPM situation developed and the helicopter made a hard landing with the tailboom being struck by the main rotor blades. The PIC said he rolled on the throttle. The FAA inspector secured the engine after the accident he said he remembered the throttle being at flight idle when he shut it down. Examination of the aircraft showed that the throttle could be held with a tight grip on one side making it difficult to be moved from the other side. No evidence of an engine or throttle malfunction was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39071
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3241
- Airframe hours
- 4,945
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- New York City Police Dept.
- Registered owner
- New York City Police Dept
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 19, 1988 · 85 hours before
- Airport
- FRG · Republic, runway 14, 6,827 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 431 total · 132 in this make and model · 192 as pilot in command · 68 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FRG, 1 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.