Mbb BK-117 incident near Manhattan, New York, July 12, 1988
On July 12, 1988 at about 4:10 pm local time, a Mbb BK-117 (helicopter), registered N135CP, suffered minor damage in an incident near Manhattan, New York. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE APPEARS TO BE THE RESULT OF A STATIC DOWNWARD BENDING OVERSTRESS, CAUSED BY ANOTHER HELICOPTER HOVERING OVER OR VERY CLOSE TO THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE AS IT WAS IN A STATIC/STOPPED POSITION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 1988 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Manhattan, New York
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Mbb BK-117
- Registration
- N135CP · registry record
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE PLT OF AN S-76 HELICOPTER WAS HOVERING TO PARK NEXT TO A PARKED MBB BK 117 HELICOPTER, N135CP, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES OF N135CP BEGAN FLAPPING. SUBSEQUENTLY, ONE BLADE FAILED FROM DOWNWARD OVERLOAD, ABOUT 29 INCHES FROM THE MAIN RETAINING PIN CENTER.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 6,173 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming LTS-101 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Teterboro NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC88IA186.