Bell 47G-5A N59403
10 March 1991 · Farmington, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 10 March 1991 at about 00:30 local time, a Bell 47G-5A registered N59403, operated by Ag-Air, Inc., was involved in an accident near Farmington, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was 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 00:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Farmington, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.9605, -120.8703
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-5A
- Registration
- N59403
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Ag-Air, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX91LA128
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE CONTAMINATION OF THE ENGINE INDUCTION AIR FILTER. SOFT TERRAIN DURING THE TOUCHDOWN WAS A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE ENGINE POWER REDUCED DURING A PROCEDURE TURNAROUND AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS DISPENSING LIQUID FERTILIZER. THE HELICOPTER SETTLED INTO SOFT TERRAIN AND THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE SEVERED THE TAIL BOOM. THE HELICOPTER THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE'S AIR FILTER DISCLOSED EVIDENCE OF LIQUID FERTILIZER CLOGGING THE FILTER.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 47 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Oct 1991 | Bell 47D-1 | Rome, Georgia, United States | Silver Hawk Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 26 Sep 1991 | Bell 47G-5A | Pearsall, Texas, United States | Tiller Helicopter Service, Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 May 1991 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Malott, Washington, United States | Cascade Helicopter | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1991 | Bell 47G | Kettleman City, California, United States | Shafter Aviation, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 1991 | Bell 47G-3B-2 | Chula Vista, California, United States | K & L Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 May 1991 | Bell 47-G3B1 | Hughesville, Pennsylvania, United States | Agricultural Helicopter Serv. | Serious injuries | - |
All 1,633 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1991 | Cessna C-172P | Hesperia, California, United States | South Bay Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Cessna 172N | Napa, California, United States | Bridgeford Flying SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft 76 | Sacramento, California, United States | Altair Aviation Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Ayres S2R | Visalia, California, United States | Gilbert Aviation Industries | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Cessna 421C | Auburn, California, United States | Edward Mueller | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Champion 7GCBC | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | Halbeisen, John F | Fatal | 2 |