- Date
- March 29, 1988, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Allentown, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N114FHBell 206L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 4, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880329008429A
- Case key
- 36125
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
During an FAA flight check an autorotational descent was made with a planned power recovery, the helicopter fell through the maneuver and collided with the ground. The main rotor blades flexed downward, striking the horizontal fin winglets and the tail boom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N114FH
- Reported as
- Bell 206L
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 45508
- Airframe hours
- 1,809
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- William A. Thayer
- Registered owner
- William A Thayer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ABE · Allentown, PA
- Airport
- ABE · Allentown
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,200 total · 3,700 in this make and model · 3,900 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 55 °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 N114FH · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.