- Date
- March 20, 1998, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- New Alexandria, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N66JVEnstrom F280F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980320007409A
- Case key
- 39543
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 bird strike.
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 started to descend from a stabilized 20-foot hover, and rotate to the right after striking a bird of unknown type. When the descent and yaw continued, the pilot entered an autorotation. The helicopter landed in the water in a level attitude, but rolled onto to its left side in approximately 4 feet of water.
Factual narrative
On March 20, 1998, at 1500 eastern standard time, an Enstrom F280F, N66JV, was substantially damaged during an autorotational landing into a lake near Westmoreland County Airport (LBE), Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that originated from LBE, approximately 1435. No flight plan was filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
In an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration inspector the pilot stated he was hovering into the wind at 20 feet above ground level.
In the NTSB Form 6120.1/2 dated March 20, 1998, the pilot stated "...the helicopter started to rotate right with torque." He continued by saying, "I applied left pedal and this action had little or no effect." After the helicopter had "slowly" made one complete turn the pilot stated he entered an autorotation which arrested the right yaw. The helicopter landed in a small lake then rolled onto its left side.
In a written statement dated April 9, 1998, from the maintenance facility contracted to repair the helicopter, the director of maintenance stated, when they removed the tailrotor gearbox and associated assemblies during the examination, bloodstains, bird feathers and a strong odor were found close to the damaged section of the stinger.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N66JV
- Reported as
- Enstrom F280F
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1151
- Airframe hours
- 1,200
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-360, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John R. Burns
- Registered owner
- Lcd Of Miami
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 30, 1997 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- LBE · Latrobe, PA
- Airport
- LBE · Westmoreland County
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
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 724 total · 78 in this make and model · 421 as pilot in command · 39 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 12 °F, dew point 7 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LBE, 6 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.