Bell 47G-3B-1 N1397X
29 September 1996 · Borinquen · No injuries
Summary
On 29 September 1996 at about 16:45 local time, a Bell 47G-3B-1 registered N1397X was involved in an accident near Borinquen. 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 16:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Borinquen
- Nearest airport
- Rafael Hernandez (BQN)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-3B-1
- Registration
- N1397X
- 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
- MIA96LA235
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
the pilot failed to maintain control of the aircraft while hover taxing. Factors in this accident were wind gusts and a tailwind.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot had landed in the grass near runway 8, turned left to hover taxi, which resulted in the helicopter hovering with a 20 knot tail wind. The helicopter was hover taxiing about 18 inches above the ground, when the left front landing skid struck the ground, resulting in the main rotor blades striking the ground. This was the pilot's first solo flight as a student helicopter pilot, after being endorsed for solo flight the day before the accident. The reported winds at the time of the accident were from 070 degrees at 20 knots with gusts to 25 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 47 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Oct 1996 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Fillmore, Utah, United States | Usfs | Fatal | 1 |
| 7 Oct 1996 | Bell 47G-5A | King City, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 1996 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Rangely, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Aug 1996 | Bell 47G-4A | Adel, Georgia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 10 Dec 1996 | Bell 47G | Pendleton, Oregon, United States | Wildhorse Helicopters, Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 6 Oct 1996 | Bell 47G-5 | Nunda, South Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |