Sikorsky S-61N accident near West Palm Beach, Florida, October 7, 1983
On October 7, 1983 at about 11:16 pm local time, a Sikorsky S-61N (helicopter), registered YV323, was destroyed in an accident near West Palm Beach, Florida (Palm Beach International airport). It was a ferry flight under ultralight rules (Part 103). 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 1983 · about 11:16 pm local time
- Place
- West Palm Beach, Florida · Palm Beach International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky S-61N · all S-61Ns on the register
- Registration
- YV323 · no longer on the register · serial 61472
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · ultralight rules (Part 103)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE DESCENDING FOR A LANDING THERE WAS A SEPARATION OF AN OUTBOARD SECTION OF THE MAIN RED ROTOR BLADE. AN OLD CRACK WAS NOTED & THE FRACTURE WAS ATTRIBUTED TO HIGH STRESS LOW CYCLE FATIGUE DAMAGE INITIATING FROM CORROSION PITTING.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 2,200 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 7,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,973 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 24, 1983; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,900 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CT-58-140-1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aerotecnica LTD.
The flight
- Departed from: MYNN Nassau
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 100° at 7 knots
- Sky: not recorded at 30,000 ft; not recorded at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm from PBI, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.