Bell 47G-3B1 N8455E
7 May 1988 · Cortez, Colorado, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 7 May 1988 at about 23:30 local time, a Bell 47G-3B1 registered N8455E was involved in an accident near Cortez, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 23:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Cortez, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.3498, -108.5699
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-3B1
- Registration
- N8455E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Delores
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN88FA106
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PLT SAID THAT HE HAD JUST TAKEN OFF AND REACHED AN ALT OF ABOUT 300 FT WHEN HIS COLLECTIVE CONTROL WENT 'LIMP'. THE HELICOPTER ENTERED A DESCENT, PARTIALLY CONTROLLED BY THE PLT USING THROTTLE AND CYCLIC CONTROL INPUTS. THE HELICOPTER TOUCHED DOWN IN SOFT MUD. THE HELICOPTER ROCKED FORWARD AND THEN AFT CAUSING THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES TO SEVER THE TAIL BOOM AND ALSO STRIKE THE GROUND. A POST ACCIDENT FIRE ERUPTED DESTROYING THE HELICOPTER. SEVERAL BROKEN PARTS WERE EXAMINED AT A LAB. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE OR CORROSION ON THE FRACTURED SURFACES.
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 | - |
| 2 Dec 1988 | Bell 47-D1 | Allen, Texas, United States | - | 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 | - |
All 1,633 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Dec 1988 | Cessna 152 II | Gilcrest, Colorado, United States | Larry J. Kuebrich | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jul 1988 | Boeing 727-100 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Connie Kallitta Services | No injuries | - |
| 15 Sep 1988 | Cessna 206 | Glade Park, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 1988 | Beechcraft 1900 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Rocky Mountain Airways | No injuries | - |
| 31 Dec 1988 | Cessna 172M | Erie, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jan 1988 | Cessna 152 | Greeley, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |