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NTSB Report
March 8, 1990 · Aerospatiale 350D · N5778W
Miami, FL
Overview
Report Status
Probable Cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
March 8, 1990
Injury Outcomes
3 injuries (2 fatalities, 1 serious injury)
Location
Miami, FL
Aircraft
Aerospatiale 350D
Tail Number
N5778W
Operator
International Helicopter
Injuries
Fatal
Aircraft Damage
Destroyed
NTSB Number
MIA90FA081
THE HELICOPTER WAS IN CRUISE FLT OVR THE OCEAN, WHEN THE PLT HEARD A LOUD NOISE & NOTED A LOSS OF ENG POWER. HE ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION & TOLD THE PSGRS TO PUT ON THEIR LIFE JACKETS. AT ABT 100' ABV THE WATER, HE DEPLOYED THE EMERG FLOATS, THEN SUCCESSFULLY LANDED IN THE OCEAN ABOUT 3 MI FROM SHORE. AFTER LNDG, A WAVE HIT THE HELICOPTER & IT ROLLED OVR. THE PLT & PSGRS GOT ONTO THE BELLY OF THE HELICOPTER, THEN THE PLT DOVE UNDER THE WATER & RETRIEVED THE ELT. HOWEVER, AFTER HE ACTIVATED THE ELT, ANOTHER WAVE HIT & THE PLT DROPPED IT AS HE REACHED TO HELP A PSGR. ONE PSGR EXPIRED ABT 8 HRS LATER & THE OTR PSGR EXPIRED ABT 15 HRS AFTER THE ACDNT. BOTH DIED FM DROWNING. THE ACDNT OCCURRED AT ABT 1115 EST; THE COAST GUARD WAS NOTIFIED OF THE SITUATION AT 1530 EST. THE PLT WAS RESCUED AT 0430 EST THE NEXT DAY. A SUBSEQUENT EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT A POWER TURBINE BLADE HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE, WHICH RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF ENG POWER.
NTSB Probable Cause
FATIGUE FAILURE OF AN ENGINE TURBINE BLADE, WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF POWER. ROUGH OCEAN WATER IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Full Narrative
THE HELICOPTER WAS IN CRUISE FLT OVR THE OCEAN, WHEN THE PLT HEARD A LOUD NOISE & NOTED A LOSS OF ENG POWER. HE ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION & TOLD THE PSGRS TO PUT ON THEIR LIFE JACKETS. AT ABT 100' ABV THE WATER, HE DEPLOYED THE EMERG FLOATS, THEN SUCCESSFULLY LANDED IN THE OCEAN ABOUT 3 MI FROM SHORE. AFTER LNDG, A WAVE HIT THE HELICOPTER & IT ROLLED OVR. THE PLT & PSGRS GOT ONTO THE BELLY OF THE HELICOPTER, THEN THE PLT DOVE UNDER THE WATER & RETRIEVED THE ELT. HOWEVER, AFTER HE ACTIVATED THE ELT, ANOTHER WAVE HIT & THE PLT DROPPED IT AS HE REACHED TO HELP A PSGR. ONE PSGR EXPIRED ABT 8 HRS LATER & THE OTR PSGR EXPIRED ABT 15 HRS AFTER THE ACDNT. BOTH DIED FM DROWNING. THE ACDNT OCCURRED AT ABT 1115 EST; THE COAST GUARD WAS NOTIFIED OF THE SITUATION AT 1530 EST. THE PLT WAS RESCUED AT 0430 EST THE NEXT DAY. A SUBSEQUENT EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT A POWER TURBINE BLADE HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE, WHICH RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF ENG POWER.
Flight
Event TypeAccident
Event Time11:16 EST
Nearest Airport0nm N
Runway0
Runway Length0
Runway Width0
Flight Plan FiledVFR
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo
Aircraft
AircraftAerospatiale 350D
Tail NumberN5778W
Aircraft CategoryHeli
DamageDestroyed
OperatorInternational Helicopter
Operating RulePart 135
Engines1
Engine TypeTurboshaft
Engine DetailsLycoming · LTS-101-600A2 · Turboshaft · 615
Seats6
People & Injuries
Injury Summary3 injuries (2 fatalities, 1 serious injury)
Fatal2
Serious1
Minor0
Uninjured0
Total3
Crew 1Age 26 · Second Class
Conditions
ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind80° @ 20 kt, gusting 25 kt
Visibility7 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point0 C
Altimeter0
Observation Time10:47
Weather SourcePILO