Rotary winged traffic makes an emergency off airport landing when its engine fails at low altitude.

Attributes
ACN	362017
Time
Date	199703
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : 2fd5
State Reference	FL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 200
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Bell 47
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	cruise other other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : instrument pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 25 flight time total : 8000 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	362017
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	observation : air carrier inspector
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency other
Consequence	faa : investigated Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

Engine failed, autorotation into shallow water (18 inches). No injuries, no damage, FAA classified this as an incident. Pilot could not or should not have reacted differently to the failed engine. As to why the engine failed I don't have any idea. Perhaps the FAA investigator will find a cause. As this was classified as an incident there was no requirement to report this to the NTSB. This was also the opinion of the FAA inspector who interviewed me on mar/sat/97, out of the miami FSDO.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ROTARY WINGED TFC MAKES AN EMER OFF ARPT LNDG WHEN ITS ENG FAILS AT LOW ALT.

Narrative: ENG FAILED, AUTOROTATION INTO SHALLOW WATER (18 INCHES). NO INJURIES, NO DAMAGE, FAA CLASSIFIED THIS AS AN INCIDENT. PLT COULD NOT OR SHOULD NOT HAVE REACTED DIFFERENTLY TO THE FAILED ENG. AS TO WHY THE ENG FAILED I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA. PERHAPS THE FAA INVESTIGATOR WILL FIND A CAUSE. AS THIS WAS CLASSIFIED AS AN INCIDENT THERE WAS NO REQUIREMENT TO RPT THIS TO THE NTSB. THIS WAS ALSO THE OPINION OF THE FAA INSPECTOR WHO INTERVIEWED ME ON MAR/SAT/97, OUT OF THE MIAMI FSDO.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.