Bell 47-D1 N74124
2 December 1988 · Allen, Texas, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 2 December 1988 at about 21:45 local time, a Bell 47-D1 registered N74124 was involved in an accident near Allen, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Allen, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.1000, -96.6601
- Aircraft
- Bell 47-D1
- Registration
- N74124
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW89DPA03
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
UNQUALIFIED PILOT'S POOR JUDGEMENT IN LEVELING THE HELICOPTER DURING THE FLARE AND CONTRIBUTING TO THIS WAS HIS LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE IN THIS TYPE AIRCRAFT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE NON-RATED, PRIVATE AIRPLANE PILOT WAS FLYING HIS HELICOPTER IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AND PRACTICING POWER RECOVERY AUTOROTATIONS, WHEN ON THE THIRD OR FOURTH ATTEMPT, THE PILOT/OWNER FLARED EXCESSIVELY CAUSING THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES TO STRIKE THE GROUND. THE TAIL ROTOR SYSTEM SEPARATED AND THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER RESULTING IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE MAIN ROTOR SYSTEM AND AIRFRAME.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 47 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Oct 1988 | Bell 47G-3B2 | Cottonwood Canyon, Nevada, United States | Bureau of Land Management | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 Jan 1988 | Bell 47G-2A1 | San Diego, California, United States | Atunera Maya SA de CV. | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Jun 1988 | Bell 47G | Terry, Montana, United States | High Country Helicopters | Serious injuries | - |
| 31 May 1988 | Bell 47G-2A | Midland, Michigan, United States | Agri-Helicopter, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 1988 | Bell 47G | N Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Aug 1988 | Bell 47J | Dowagiac, Michigan, United States | Chester Ruminer | No injuries | - |
All 1,633 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Jan 1988 | Aero Commander 100-180 | Mineola Quitman, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Jan 1988 | Piper PA-28-235 | Littlefield, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jan 1988 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10 | Dfw Airport, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Jan 1988 | Beechcraft V35B | Temple, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jan 1988 | Bellanca 17-30A | Borger, Texas, United States | J & W Operating Co. | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 Jan 1988 | Cessna 152 | Tomball, Texas, United States | Merri Worth Aviation | Minor injuries | - |