Bell 47G5 N7080J
20 March 1993 · Greenfield, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 20 March 1993 at about 14:47 local time, a Bell 47G5 registered N7080J, operated by Soilserv, Inc., was involved in an accident near Greenfield, California, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. 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 14:47
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Greenfield, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.2594, -121.3695
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G5
- Registration
- N7080J
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Soilserv, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- King City → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX93LA157
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE CLEARANCE FROM THE POWER LINES WHILE PERFORMING AN AERIAL APPLICATION RUN.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS FLYING UNDER A DIAGONAL SET OF POWERLINES IN THE NORTH EAST CORNER OF THE FIELD HE WAS SPRAYING. HE REPORTED THAT AFTER CLEARING THE DIAGONAL SET AT THE FIELD BOUNDARY HE PULLED UP TO AVOID ANOTHER SET OF LINES; HOWEVER, HE FAILED TO CLEAR THE UPPERMOST WIRE. AFTER COLLIDING WITH THE WIRE, THE HELICOPTER DESCENDED OUT OF CONTROL AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 47G5 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 1992 | Bell 47G5 | Mesa, Arizona, United States | Red Mountain Helicopters, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G5 | American Samoa | Larry Z. Fishing Co. Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 26 Apr 1990 | Bell 47G5 | Marion, Massachusetts, United States | Plymouth Copters Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jun 1988 | Bell 47G5 | Oceano, California, United States | Sinton, Jack | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Aug 1988 | Bell 47G5 | Biddeford, Maine, United States | Maine Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Feb 2000 | Bell 47G5 | Riverbank, California, United States | Greenbelt Aviation | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Jul 1993 | Cessna 310H | Lancaster, California, United States | Yehiem Konski | Fatal | 6 |
| 14 Nov 1993 | Cessna 182 | Colusa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jan 1993 | Cessna 172P | Sun City, California, United States | Hiser Helicopters, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 31 Jul 1993 | Robinson R44 | El Monte, California, United States | Benjamin F. Venti, SR. | Fatal | 3 |
| 17 Nov 1993 | Piper PA-38-112 | Fresno, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jan 1993 | Beechcraft A35 | Tulare, California, United States | Rent and Lease Programs | Fatal | 2 |