ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 45375
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| Date: | Friday 8 November 2002 |
| Time: | 23:25 |
| Type: |  Westland Gazelle AH1 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N911XW |
| MSN: | 1230 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1974 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 9309 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | East Hampton, NY -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Islip, NY (ISP) |
| East Hampton, NY (HTO) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During a flight on a moonless night, the helicopter entered a descent while approaching a shoreline from the landward side. The helicopter crossed the shoreline at an altitude of about 200 feet, then continued outbound, over the water, until radar contact was lost about 24 seconds later. The pilot's logbook was not recovered; however, records indicated that he flew 115 hours of total flight time in another helicopter, including 3 hours of night time, in preparation for his private pilot certificate, which he obtained 4 months prior to the accident. A safety pilot also flew with the accident pilot in the accident helicopter for about 10 additional hours. The accident flight was the pilot's second solo flight in the helicopter, and there was no evidence of mechanical malfunction.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude, which resulted in an in-flight collision with water. Factors included the pilot's decision to fly over water on a moonless night, his lack of experience in that environment, and the dark night lighting conditions.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20021126X05533&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 25-Oct-2011 11:03 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 18-Jan-2013 12:50 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Source] |
| 23-Mar-2013 18:30 | TB | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 09-Dec-2017 17:59 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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