Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Marathon, Florida 33070
Sunday, December 10, 2000 19:03 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The certified flight instructors (CFI) attempted VFR flight to his destination airport without a weather briefing. Instrument flight conditions were encountered and the pilot landed on an island. The CFI called an FAA Automated Flight Service Station and received a standard weather briefing. The forecaster informed the CFI that VFR flight was not recommended. The CFI attempted VFR flight after he thought the weather had moved through his location, and encountered instrument flight conditions. He attempted to reverse his course, became spatially disoriented, and the helicopter descended and collided with the Atlantic Ocean.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The certified flight instructors disregard of an FAA weather forecast stating VFR flight not recommended resulting in VFR flight into known instrument flight conditions, loss of aircraft control due to spatial disorientation, and subsequent in-flight descent and in-flight collision with the Atlantic Ocean.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 12/10/2000 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1903 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | MARATHON |
| Event State | FLORIDA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 33070 |
| Event Date Year | 2000 |
| Event Date Month | 12 |
| 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 | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1932 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 20 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | HST |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 7 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 57 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 1000 |
| 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) | 6 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 22 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 22 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 300 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 2 |
| 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 | Heavy |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 2 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 482 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Communications Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Dec 10 2000 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2045 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 25 2001 4:45AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N411MJ |
| NTSB Number | MIA01LA039 |
| 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 | Robinson |
| Aircraft Model | R22 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | R22 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 2099 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1370 |
| 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 | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 20 2000 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 82 |
| Airframe Hours | 2292 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | FOURTH MILLENNIUM ENT INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 2959 SW CORNELL AVE |
| Aircraft Owner City | PALM CITY |
| Aircraft Owner State | FL |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 34990 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | VOLAR HELICOPTERS INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 5530 NW 23RD AVENUE |
| Operator City | FORT LAUDERDALE |
| Operator State | FL |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 33309 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| 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) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | N/A |
| Departure City | MARATHON |
| Departure State | FL |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1845 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | FXE |
| Destination City | FORT LAUDERDALE |
| Destination State | FL |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 25 2001 4:10AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |