Bell 47G-5A N14841

Summary

On 22 September 2000 at about 19:00 local time, a Bell 47G-5A registered N14841, operated by Wayne County Sheriff's Office, was involved in an accident near Economy, Indiana, United States. 2 people were 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.

Date

22 September 2000 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Economy, Indiana, United States

Coordinates

39.9703, -85.0803

Aircraft

Bell 47G-5A

Registration

N14841

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Wayne County Sheriff's Office

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Richmond → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI00TA306

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot failed to maintain control of the helicopter while attempting a landing on unsuitable terrain. A factor associated with the accident was the grass covered, down slope in the terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot lost control of the helicopter and it impacted the terrain on landing. The purpose of the flight was for aerial photography. The pilot reported the winds increased during the flight and he elected to make an off airport landing to take a break and see if the winds would subside. During touchdown, the helicopter tilted rearward. The pilot attempted to recover; however the tailrotor struck the ground and the helicopter became airborne, rotated to the right and reached an altitude of 10 feet to 15 feet. The pilot reduced the collective and closed the throttle at which time the helicopter landed hard. The pilot lost his hold on the collective and it rose from the impact. This caused the helicopter to begin rotating again, however it remained on the ground. The pilot pushed the collective back down and eventually got the engine shut down. The pilot reported that after the accident he checked the area and discovered that the ground had a downhill slope in the area where the rear portion of the skids would have been. He reported that the slope was obscured by grass.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.