- Date
- October 4, 1988, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fields, OR
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N401SAerospatiale SA341G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 19, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881004044449A
- Case key
- 40947
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
The plt rprtd that as he was in a slow descending turn to the left at about 20 KTS (translational lift). The helicopter suddenly rotated to the left without warning. He estimated that this occurred at about 30 ft AGL. He applied right pedal & the rotation stopped in a slight nose down attitude after about 2 turns. Also, the plt noticed that the eng was not providing power; he presumed the fuel limiter had restricted the flow of fuel to the eng, causing a reduction of power. Before touchdown, the plt applied collective to cushion the landing, but the right skid was damaged & the main rotor blades flexed downward & contacted the tail boom. The density alt was computed to be near 6000 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N401S
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale SA341G
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1509
- Airframe hours
- 727
- Engine
- Turbomeca ASTAZOU III A, 500 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Joseph I. Eoff
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 28, 1988 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- Denio, NV
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 9,000 total · 68 in this make and model · 9,000 as pilot in command · 47 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.