- Date
- July 12, 1988, 12:10 local (16:10 UTC)
- Place
- Manhattan, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N135CPMBB BK-117
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 25, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 36024
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the main rotor blade appears to be the result of a static downward bending overstress, caused by another helicopter hovering over or very close to the main rotor blade as it was in a static/stopped position.
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
As the plt of an S-76 helicopter was hovering to park next to a parked mbb bk 117 helicopter, N135CP, the main rotor blades of N135CP began flapping. Subsequently, one blade failed from downward overload, about 29 inches from the main retaining pin center.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N135CP
- Reported as
- MBB BK-117
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS-101, 550 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Colgate Palmolive
- Registered owner
- Colgate Palmolive
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- Teterboro, NJ
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
- 51
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
Weather
- Conditions
- Day