- Date
- March 1, 1990, 15:50 local (23:50 UTC)
- Place
- Des Moines, WA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4073GBell BH-47G3B2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900301052099A
- Case key
- 41171
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
Partial loss of engine power, cause undetermined. The aircraft was not recovered and examination of the engine was not possible.
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 engine began running rough during cruise flight and RPM decreased from 3200 to 2800. The pilot was not able to reach shore with the available power and ditched the aircraft in a saltwater bay. He was recovered from the water by a private boat. The aircraft sank in 300 ft. deep water and was not recovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4073G
- Reported as
- Bell BH-47G3B2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 6703
- Airframe hours
- 6,204
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435, 280 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Richard H. Butz
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · August 16, 1989 · 36 hours before
- Departed
- S50 · Auburn, WA
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
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 14,900 total · 1,600 in this make and model · 40 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SEA, 5 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.
Other investigations on N4073G · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.