- Date
- April 27, 1989, 14:29 local (18:29 UTC)
- Place
- Bedminster, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N273EBell 206A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890427010249A
- Case key
- 36403
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
Off airport landing in unsuitable terrain due to an undetermined power loss.
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
While in a climbing right turn at about 300-400 ft AGL the engine out audio alarm & warning light came on. The pilot lowered the collective and nose to build up rotor RPM & airspeed. The pilot flared at 50 ft, but said the rotor RPM was too low after avoiding trees and the aircraft fell through the initial collective pitch pull, striking the ground and rolling over on its right side before coming to rest. No discrepancies were found during an engine run, or with the airframe or flight controls.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N273E
- Reported as
- Bell 206A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 167
- Airframe hours
- 2,969
- Engine
- Allison 250 C-20, 400 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Apollo Helicopter Co.
- Registered owner
- Apollo Helicopter Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 22, 1989 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- Bedminster, NJ
- Destination
- Union, NJ
- Airport
- Kean Helistop
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 888 total · 836 in this make and model · 838 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 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 N273E · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.