NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DCA85AA020
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
AT LAGUARDIA ARPT, WND WAS FM 320 DEG AT 16 GSTG 22 KTS. PIC RPRTD WND AT HELIPORT (ON WEST BANK OF EAST RVR) WAS FM SW.OBSTACLES WERE LOCATED ALONG WEST EDGE OF HELIPORT. PIC RPRTD HE MADE PWR CHECK, THEN BGN ROLLING TAKEOFF WITH RGT QTRG HDWND. AS ACFT WAS CLIMBING (APRX 5' AGL) OVR EAST EDGE OF HELIPORT, PIC NOTED A 'POPPING' SOUND, LOSS OF ENG PWR & MAINROTOR RPM, RISE IN EGT. ACFT BGN SETTLING & PLT TRIED DEPLOYING EMERG FLOATS, BUT DIDN'T HAVE TIME. ACFT IMPACTED WATER,ROLLED OVR & SANK. ONE PAX DID NOT EGRESS & DROWNED WITH HIS SEAT BELT STILL FASTENED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ENG HAD ERROSION OF 1ST STAGE COMPRESSOR BLADES, CONTAMINATION ON BLADES/COMPRESSOR HOUSING & A LOW FUEL FLOW ADJUSTMENT OF THE FUEL CONTROL UNIT. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF ENG SURGE/COMPRESSOR STALL. DENSITY ALT WAS 1600'. FOUR OF 5 PAX RPRTD THEYDID NOT RECEIVE INTRUCTION ON FLOATATION DEVICES/SEAT BELTS & THEY WERE NOT SHOWN THE BRIEFING CARDS. AEROSPATIALE SVC BULLETIN FOR IMPROVED TYPE 343 SEAT BELT BUCKLES (TO PREVENT BLOCKAGE OR FAILURE TO UNLOCK) WAS NOT COMPLIED WITH. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1985_DCA85AA020.txt.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
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