Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Gulf Of Mexico
Saturday, April 20, 1985 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE HELICOPTER DISAPPEARED WHILE ON AN OVERWATER FLT FROM KEY WEST, FL TO FT PEIRCE, FL. ONE OCCUPANT & THE WRECKAGE OF THE HELICOPTER WERE SUBSEQUENTLY RECOVERED FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE PLT & THE OTHER OCCUPANT WERE NOT LOCATED & WERE PRESUMED DEAD. PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, 1 OF THE CREWMEMBERS WAS OVERHEARD TO SAY 'THAT DIDN'T SOUND GOOD'REFERRING TO SOME UNUSUAL SOUND AT THE TIME OF SHUT-DOWN. THE PLT TOLD A WITNESS THEY WERE HAVING MECHANICAL DIFFICULTY WHICH THEY WOULD CORRECT IN FT PIERCE. ANOTHER WITNESS HEARD THE PLT STATE TO 1 OF THE PAX THAT A CAP OR PART HAD FALLEN OFF & WAS MISSING. AN EXAM OF THE ROTATING & STATIONARY SWASHPLATES WHICH MADE UP THE STAR ASS'Y REVEALED THAT THEY HAD SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER. A METALLURGICAL EXAM REVEALED THAT 8 OF THE 12 BOLTS WHICH SECURED THE ROTATING STAR INNER RACE TO THE ASS'Y HAD FAILED IN FATIGUE; THE OTHER 4 BOLTS WERE MISSING. THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE BELLY, TAIL CONE & PYLON.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/20/1985 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 0 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | GULF OF MEXICO |
| Event State | GULF OF MEXICO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | |
| Event Date Year | 1985 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1450 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 206 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | EYW |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 4 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 57 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 2000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 27 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 17 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 360 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 9 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1174 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 22 1985 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1105 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 28519 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 9:15AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N65526 |
| NTSB Number | MIA85FA153 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | SIKORSKY |
| Aircraft Model | S-58ET |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | S-58ET |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 58-750 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 12700 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 14 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 4548 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | CARSON HELICOPTERS, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 32-H BLOOMING GLEN RD. |
| Aircraft Owner City | PERKASIE |
| Aircraft Owner State | PA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 18944 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | External Load |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Positioning |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | EYW |
| Departure City | KEY WEST |
| Departure State | FL |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | FPR |
| Destination City | FT. PIERCE |
| Destination State | FL |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Unknown |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |