Bell 47D1 accident near Rockledge, Florida, March 25, 1990
On March 25, 1990 at about 7:35 pm local time, a Bell 47D1 (helicopter), registered N10326, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rockledge, 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
FAILURE OF A CONNECTING ROD.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 1990 · about 7:35 pm local time
- Place
- Rockledge, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47D1 · all 47D1s on the register
- Registration
- N10326 · no longer on the register · serial 240
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A SIGHTSEEING FLT, WHILE IN CRUISE FLT AT 500 FT AGL, THE PLT HEARD A NOISE & AUTOROTATED INTO A TREE NURSERY. THE HELICOPTER WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. AN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT ONE CONNECTING ROD FAILED, RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF ENG POWER.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,190 hours in all; 716 in this make and model; 6,540 as pilot in command; 303 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,115 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 1989; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6V-335 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X65 Rockledge FL at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from TIX, 12 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.