Bell 47G-3B1 accident near Panama City Bch, Florida, May 3, 1987
On May 3, 1987 at about 5:48 pm local time, a Bell 47G-3B1 (helicopter), registered N43CD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Panama City Bch, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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
- May 3, 1987 · about 5:48 pm local time
- Place
- Panama City Bch, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-3B1 · all 47G-3B1s on the register
- Registration
- N43CD · registry record · serial 67 17016
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF THE ENG BEGAN TO LOSE POWER, THEN FAILED. HE THEN AUTOROTATED & SET THE HELICOPTER DOWN APRX 6 FEET OFFSHORE. EXAMINATION OF THE ENG LOGBOOKS BY FAA PERSONNEL REVEALED THAT AD 62-23-02 WHICH REQUIRES INSP OF THE OIL FILTER EVERY 25 HOURS HAD BEEN OVERDUE BY 20.9 HOURS. INSP OF THE TRANSMISSION REVEALED THAT A 5 1/2 INCH PIECE FROM THE CLUTCH DRUM RING SEPARATED WHICH DISENGAGED THE MAIN ROTOR FROM THE ENG RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF MAIN ROTOR RPM. EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED CLUTCH DRUM RING REVEALED EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT IT FAILED DUE TO FATIGUE.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 656 hours in all; 110 in the last 90 days; 483 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,463 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 17, 1987; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming VO435A1F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:02 pm from PEN, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.