Aviation Crash Map

Bell 47G-2A-1 N8542D

11 June 2002 · Jordan, Minnesota, United States · Minor injuries

Summary

On 11 June 2002 at about 18:30 local time, a Bell 47G-2A-1 registered N8542D was involved in an accident near Jordan, Minnesota, 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 18:30
Classification
Accident
Location
Jordan, Minnesota, United States
Coordinates
44.6603, -93.6293
Aircraft
Bell 47G-2A-1
Registration
N8542D
Category
Helicopter
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 137: Agricultural
Purpose of flight
Aerial Application
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Jordan → Unknown
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
CHI02LA163

People

1 person had minor injuries.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 1 0

Probable cause

The loss of engine power due to improper maintenance by unknown maintenance personnel which led to a misalignment of the gearbox casing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a swamp after a total loss of engine power. The purpose of the flight was to spray for mosquito control. Inspection of the engine revealed that the compressor coupling shaft to the spur adapter gear shaft had damaged splines on the turbine driven end of the coupling shaft. Examination of the turbine end of the exhaust collector revealed that the circumferential weld joining the mounting flange to the bifurcated duct was non-uniform, discontinuous, and displayed a heat tint on both sides. Closer examination revealed places where the duct material; adjacent to the weld was slightly buckled and displayed indications of being impacted. The exhaust collector was dimensionally checked on a co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM). The CMM indicated that the flatness of the attaching flange for the pilot diameter displayed localized variation. As the print specifies that the centerline of the collector is established from the turbine pilot diameter and its attaching flange surface, their discrepancies resulted in a run out error on the gearbox pilot diameter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Bell 47 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
25 Sep 2002 Bell 47G-2
N5193B
Edmondson, Arkansas, United States Ag Copters Inc. Fatal 1
20 Aug 2002 Bell 47-D1
N4702S
Union, South Carolina, United States - Minor injuries -
25 Aug 2002 Bell 47G-2
N8478H
Oasis, California, United States - Serious injuries -
1 Dec 2002 Bell 47G-3B-1
N48020
Panaca, Nevada, United States Bureau of Land Managment No injuries -
21 May 2002 Bell 47G
N72MU
Marion, Alabama, United States Aerial Application Technologies LLC No injuries -
24 Jun 2002 Bell 47G-2A
N8486E
La Belle, Florida, United States - Minor injuries -

All 1,633 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
12 Jan 2002 Wolter AVID FLYER
N4047M
Rush City, Minnesota, United States - Fatal 1
5 Sep 2002 Cessna 152
N48969
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States - No injuries -
4 Jul 2002 Hale KITFOX MODEL III
N76WH
Fairmont, Minnesota, United States - No injuries -
25 Aug 2002 Mooney M20C
N9274V
Warroad, Minnesota, United States - No injuries -
9 Nov 2002 Beechcraft D35
N2935B
Dodge Center, Minnesota, United States - Serious injuries -
15 Nov 2002 Piper PA-32RT-300T
N36315
Longville, Minnesota, United States David Stilley Serious injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States