- Date
- May 31, 1990, 09:45 local (13:45 UTC)
- Place
- Becket, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N39268Bell 47G-3B1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900531018229A
- Case key
- 36655
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
A power loss due to oil starvation, after maintenance personnel failed to comply with Lycoming directives during the engine overhaul. Factors related to the accident were: improper adjustment of the engine oil pressure by maintenance personnel and unsuitable terrain.
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 helicopter engine lost power and the pilot autorotated into unsuitable terrain. The cause of the power loss was a oil channel which was blocked with debris and led to the failure of the number 4 bearing and connecting rod. The engine had been overhauled 6 years and 228.5 hours prior to the accident. Lycoming said their post crash examination of the engine showed the overhaul had not been conducted in accordance with their directives.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39268
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-3B1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2957
- Airframe hours
- 5,720
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1, 240 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas M. Mazzeo
- Registered owner
- Thomas Mazzeo
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 15, 1990 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- PSF · Pittsfield, MA
- Destination
- BAF · Westfield, MA
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 245 total · 186 in this make and model · 81 as pilot in command · 43 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 18 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.